Press
Briefing Monday, 1st February 2010
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that as an example of
hypocrisy and political opportunism, this must take the
cake. The BJP and the Shiv Sena have been together from
before 1995. They have been in Government from 1995 till
1999 and since then they continued to be coalition
partners i.e. over 15-17 years. The Shiv Sena has over
the course of almost these two decades used repeatedly
filthy, derogatory, demeaning and disgusting language in
respect of migrants several times. Not once have been
found any unequivocal, unambiguous negation and
declaration to the contrary by either BJP or its remote
controller the RSS. The Congress has been the party
which has at the risk of a lot of reaction spoken up
time and again in the interests of national unity and
integration. In fact, the sympathy of BJP with the
philosophy of Shiv Sena goes back to the mid 1960s when,
as the whole country knows, similar derogatory language
was used against those from Southern States. In the
1970s violence was threatened if those migrants to
Mumbai did not leave. As recently as 6th March 2008, the
Shiv Sena categorically, in writing, talked of ‘Ek
Bihari- Sau Bimari’ and what were the BJP and the RSS
doing. Is this not the peak of the hypocrisy and
opportunism that in need they were cohabiting with JD
(U) in Bihar, at the same time cohabiting with the Shiv
Sena in Mumbai. How many times did they wake up or give
a clear unequivocal call. They fought elections
together. They enjoyed the loaves and fishes of power.
They tried to snatch power more than once by being in
elections together. They wrote manifestos in which they
never affirmatively decry and denied their stand. In
deed, the BJP and the RSS in the context of their
current somersault and volte-face themselves preached
religious exclusiveness along with geographical
exclusiveness. They talked of rule by a certain majority
contrary to the constitutional schemes and contrary to
our ethos of our secularism. Here are the parties which
ran with the hare and hunted with the hound and now you
have multi-speak. You have their multi speak with
different nuances and similarly different tones and
tenors by the BJP, RSS and the Shiv Sena. All this is
intended to create confusion. All is intended to fool
the people. All this is intended to mislead the public
to make them forget their established recorded conduct
over 15-17 years. What is the use of now emulating and
imitating the Congress Party? Yes, the imitation is the
best form of flattery and we are flattered. But you
cannot fool the public in this manner. In the interest
of accountability, at the minimum you must first of all
declare unequivocally and once for all clear the stand
on this issue on which you have practiced deliberately
for close to 20 years. Second you must denounce the Shiv
Sena, or if you like the JD (U), or if you like both.
Third, you must break up any alliance which you are in
and have been continuing. Again whether the alliance in
Maharashtra or the alliance in Bihar, or both, because
this kind of hypocrisy is an insult to the intelligence
of the people of India.
To a question whether the alliance partner NCP is
insulting the Congress every day with reference to the
statement of Shri Sangma, Shri Singhvi said that the
issue of Prime Minister, Lok Sabha, elected Prime
Minister, these are such old issues which have been
raised more than several times and have been rejected by
resounding electoral verdicts and that they do not
deserve to be dignified by any answer. They have been
rejected by resounding verdicts not once but many times
over at central elections as well as state elections and
we do not think there is any need to dignify them with
any answer.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on
the statement of Shiv Sena making a strong pitch that
Mumbai and Maharashtra is only for Marathis, Shri
Singhvi said that his whole briefing today is about
asking those parties who are misleading the media to
define their stand. The stand of the Congress party is
clear for the last 20-30 years. We denounce
unequivocally any such artificial imagined divisions. We
believe that parties, who are today in fact giving us
the compliment of imitation and trying to emulate our
statements, it is they who are not serious even today.
They are practicing hypocrisy and double speak and we
have therefore, through you, called for their
unequivocal declaration. But more than that, before that
for their complete surrendering of their relations with
their coalition partners who practice such statements.
On the question whether the NCP had joined hands with
the BJP, Shri Singhvi said that it is really for you to
ask both NCP and BJP and not or me to answer. But you
are right to the extent that it was a plank; a specific
plank in electoral campaigns principally of the
opposition along with other parties was resoundingly
rejected not once but many times. There is no need to
preach to any party. There is no need for a message when
you are partners in no less than a central coalition and
in no less than a state coalition. No preaching is
required. You have to strengthen each other’s hands and
you have to proceed positively and we do not have any
doubt that every reasonable person realizes that.
On the question of having more than one Chief Ministers
in Meghlaya, Shri Sinvhi said under the constitution,
there is and can be only one Chief Minister. There is no
question of two or three Chief Ministers. There is one
Chief Minister. However, as you know in several States,
there are persons who may not be in the Council of
Ministers but may be heading the Corporations or
Commissions who are frequently given the status of the
Cabinet Ministers. That does not mean that they have the
powers to exercise and take decision which the Chief
Minister does. Similarly, a person credited with the
rank of Dy. Chief Minister or indeed a Chief Minister
does not have the jurisdiction to take decision as if he
was the Chief Minister. Shri Singhvi further added that
he agrees with the media that it is relatively unusual
as far the rank of the Chief Minister is concerned but
the essence of the issue is that the Chief Minister
remains the same and only he can exercise the powers
entrusted to a person to head the Council of Ministers.
That does not make the second, third or fourth Chief
Minister. This is the political decision taken with full
transparency and the Government of the day takes the
responsibility to deal with it should there be a
political price and cost to it. But it is conscious
decision and is not taken in hurry.
On the question whether it is a coincidence that the
President of the BSP has resigned today when Shri Rahul
Gandhi is touring Uttar Pradesh, Shri Singhvi said that
Shri Rahul Gandhi does only positive politics. His
visits to Uttar Pradesh are to strengthen the NSUI and
the Youth Congress of the State who are considered to be
the backbone of the party. The other parties should keep
their house in order and the resignation of the State
President of BSP does not have any co-relation with the
visit of Shri Rahul Gandhi.
Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
