Press Briefing Friday, 17 Apr 2009

Shri Ashwani Kumar addressed the media today.

Shri Ashwani Kumar said that with BJP’s strategy of detracting from the core issues in this election having rebounded, the Congress party poses the following questions in the peoples’ court to which the BJP party must respond:

1. Can a party whose President considers it appropriate to undertake a political pilgrimage to Pilibhit to pay obeisance to the new poster boy of BJP party claim itself to be a party with a difference? Can a party whose ideology and leadership is identified with the onslaught on the core values of our republic in Ayodhya, Gujarat, Kandhamal and Pilibhit ever claim to be ‘Defenders of the Civilization” defined by its composite culture and pluralist democracy?

2. Is the future of young India aspiring to be a global power in the 21st century secure in the hands of communalists masquerading as nationalists? Can national security be entrusted to a party whose policies are destructive of the nation’s internal unity and social cohesiveness?

3. Can the BJP which claims to be tough on terror lay claim to any comprehensive initiative for strengthening the nation’s anti-terror infrastructure after terrorist attacks on Red Fort, Akshardham Temple, Raghunath Mandir, the Indian Parliament etc. in comparison to a comprehensive anti-terror strategy unveiled by the UPA Government in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack?”. The Congress party asks the people of India to judge the issue not on the basis of empty rhetoric of the BJP party but concrete and purposive action of the Congress-led UPA Government under Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi.

4. Does the BJP party have any programme to show in the past during the NDA regime or for the future, which is even remotely comparable to the breadth and sweep of the Congress led UPA Government’s vision and policies for the empowerment of ‘aam aadmi” and weaker sections of society as embodied in our flagship programmes such as the NREGA,. Bharat Nirman, farmer’s loan waiver and the RTI etc.?

5. Is it not time to rechristen an alliance whose strength has already dwindled from 24 to 4 allies with even some of these differing with the BJP party’s communal manifesto as the National Dwindling Alliance and the National Debilitating Alliance? The party that claims that the UPA will be history after elections has itself taken a holiday from history conveniently forgetting the lessons of 2004 and earlier. Indeed, BJP’s day dreaming and “Mungeri Lal ke haseen Sapne” tell the same story.

Shri Ashwani Kumar further said that with the self certifying ‘Mazboot Neta, Nirnayak Sarkar’ slogan having been decisively demolished, a Congress led secular Government at the Centre with Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister and Smt. Sonia Gandhi as the leader of the secular alliance ought to be the instinctive first choice of an enlightened electorate. Indeed our claim “Congress ki Pehchaan, Vikas aur Nirman” shall prevail in the people’s court.

Shri Ashwani Kumar further said that the Congress party has always maintained that there should be a national agenda when it comes to security. Shri Kumar raised a question before the BJP and its leaders as to where were they when there were terror attacks on Akshardham and Red Fort. On the other hand, Shri Kumar said, the Congress-led UPA Government was able to constitute National Investigating Agency within four weeks of the Mumbai terror attack on 26/11. What was their response to the terror attack when BJP led NDA was in power? That is the question we want to put on security to the NDA.

To the question of people of India being aware of everything, they voted the BJP to power in Gujarat, Shri Kumar said that he has every hope that they will not bring BJP to power again. A periodical election is an attempt to renew the mandate.

On the question of the BJP party making a statement that they will bring the black money stashed in Swiss Banks back into India within 100 days if they are voted to power, Shri Kumar said that what were they doing when they were in power for 6 years.

On the question whether the Congress party feels that the BJP party is their main opponent, Shri Kumar said that we regard BJP as the main ideological political opponent. We regard the ideology of the BJP and the politics of the BJP party as an ideology totally abhorrent to India’s pluralist democracy and its composite culture and therefore, we want to wage this battle with BJP on an ideological level at every level. In an election, we have all those parties who are politically opposed to the Congress and those who are in alliance and our political rivals. We are therefore, fighting an election in the company of our partners and against all those who question the ideologies of the Congress party.

On the question of economic policy, Shri Kumar said that the Congress party has always believed in acting and that is the difference even on economic policy of the Congress party. We believe in translating into action our economic policies. The BJP party is a poor imitator.





(Tom Vadakkan)

Secretary, AICC