Press Briefing Monday, 16th January 2012

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.

Shri Abhishek Singhvi said the cat is finally out of the bag. The UP Government and its Chief Minister have clearly accepted and it is now documented that more than or about 50% of those who are given BSP tickets are either considered incompetent or corrupt or have done no work in their constituencies and hence are not fit to be repeated. Over 100 such persons have been denied tickets on the specific grounds of having done no work in their constituency or having been indicted for illegality or corruption and are facing legal proceedings in that regard. This is an extraordinary high percentage - over 50% or about 50% of all BSP selectees. What does this prove? This proves that for the last five years you had persons put in positions of power by the BSP who did nothing for that area and who were corrupt or not doing any governance much less good governance. This is the true face of UP governance. This is documented. It is factual. It is admitted. There is, therefore, no doubt that a fraud was perpetrated on the people of UP for five continuous years because the same party now does not find it fit to look at almost or 50% of those who were his selectees. This is the heart of the story of mal-governance. This is the heart of the story of misleading the people and taking the people for a ride. This is the reason why UP has such high crime. This is the reason why the people of UP are crying for relief but getting not even ordinary governance much less than good governance for all these years and this is the reason why this completely failed ‘sarkar’ of that State must be consigned to the dust bin as soon as possible and not later than the immediately forthcoming elections.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party over an incident in Fatehpur district in UP where a woman was gang-raped and when she went to lodge a complaint she was set ablaze, Shri Singhvi said if what you are saying is true, even as you said it without even saying it, is shocking and absolutely terrible even to hear but what is this. This is only another figure, another statistics and another manifestation in the long list of mis-governance and why that mis-governance before you is because the UP government – the party in power - openly admits that about 50% of its people are inappropriate, ineligible and wrong choices because of corruption and mis-governance to be nominated for the tickets. I think your example says it all. But what is the poor ‘janata’ of UP to do and which is why if it was possible they should be turned out even before the elections but certainly not more than February.

On the question of reaction of the Congress party over the incident that happened outside AICC headquarters, Shri Singhvi said as you know we were in the Election Commission on a very detailed exchange of views and we do not have full facts but the prima-facie facts available to us make it very clear that this is the handiwork of our political opponents – political opponents including the BJP but other so-called peripheral and marginal elements constantly indirectly trying to promote the BJP agenda. It is extremely unfortunate. It is tragic not because we are at all worried about such cheap politics. It is tragic because it insults and demeans the width and depth of Indian democracy. It is cheap because you can oppose us politically but it only manifests and establishes your utter frustration with certain knowledge of certain defeat telling on its face. That has led to such cheap antiques. Let me tell you that far bigger forces have tried it in much more obstructive manner to do such things and the Congress party has always only emerged stronger and more successful.

On the meeting with the Election Commission, Shri Singhvi said as you know I was privileged to go with a delegation to the Election Commission where a very detailed and long exchange of views happened for almost over an hour. Several issues - macro and micro – in respect of UP were discussed. We have specifically brought to the attention of the Commission very grave violations of the level playing field by the UP government officials. We have, for example named them, given their districts, their areas and their designations and we have said they were nothing more and nothing less than the spokesperson of the ruling party BSP which is completely impermissible in electoral process. We have also brought to the attention of the Election Commission how movement of men and materials – publicity materials – cannot be hindered, should not be hindered and most importantly the fact that although the model code of conduct has come into force, there is a confusion in the minds of the authorities who are acting as if candidates have been declared. A large number of these regulatory mechanisms do not come into play unless and until you and I are candidate and that confusion has to be clarified. We have pointed out individual cases of complete total subordination of the state administration and machinery to the ruling party in UP. Government officials of UP, the entire state machinery has been tried to have been made in very senior positions and at the bottom into nothing but the spokespersons for the BSP which is fighting the election nothing but not government servants but the servants of the BSP and we have strongly objected and Election Commission has heard us sympathetically in great length and we expect strong action to be taken in near future.

Shri Singhvi further said that we have also given very strong points in respect of the notice issued to Shri Salman Khurshid and have given a very pointed and short summary of our objections but the hearing in that regard will be held in near future and we will deal with that issue on that date. We have objected that the senior, middle and lower level officials in UP are being used as arms and eyes of the ruling party which is fundamentally contrary to the whole concept of a free and fair election and a level playing field.




(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC