Press Briefing Friday, 20th January 2012

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.

Shri Abhishek Singhvi said the Congress party’s march towards victory in the forthcoming elections is clear, is certain and is obviously unsettling for our political adversaries. I am not going to go into the specifics but our internal analysis, assessments and reports indicate that we are progressing towards historic figures in each of the States going to the polls in the near future. Some external polls and surveys have also confirmed this but we are not relying on them, we rely on our internal assessments. We have no doubt that the march of progress in Punjab is vigorous, is conclusive and is decisive as far as the Congress party and its figures in the electoral results are concerned. The figures will show that we are certainly not relying merely on cyclical anti-incumbency. The verdict will show how there is a positive huge upsurge of support. In Uttarakhand, mere sham, farce or drama of changing someone a few months before the elections is doomed to failure because the electorate cannot be taken for granted. You cannot loot the treasury of the state for five years and then change the looters five months before the hustling and expect the electorate to forget it. This is being over clever. It is being disingenuous. I am not going into other states but in UP it is but obvious that Shri Rahul Gandhi’s stewardship, leadership and his forays in almost every part of the State has created utter frustration, confusion and in fact ’bokhlahat’ of a very patent kind in the parties opposing us especially the three major parties opposing us in UP e.g. you saw in a very strange over reaction of the BJP importation from MP into UP. All that Shri Rahul Gandhi had said was that someone who had been rejected by her own party, earlier expelled in fact and someone who was not able to find acceptability within the State BJP in MP, how could she be a leader in a state other than her own where BJP did not find her acceptable. To that simple political statement of fact, the reaction was clearly disproportionate, abusive, cheap and unparliamentary. This does not require response from us. I am only responding because it is clear that writ large on this is ‘bokhlahat’ frustration, confusion and most important fear.

On the question on the reaction of the Congress party over the fact that Shri Salman Rushdie is not visiting India now because he has his own intelligence reports suggesting that his life is in danger, Shri Singhvi said let us be clear on a few basic facts. The Congress party and the Congress-led UPA government stands steadfast in its absolute commitment to freedom of speech and expression. Facts must not be forgotten. As of today the decision of the Government of India stands that by no means Shri Salman Rushdie banned, stopped, prohibited or limited from coming to India. Merely because different people have given inputs about better preparedness of law and order and security does not and should not in any manner mean that Government of India has attempted in remote manner to try to ban. Now thereafter if an individual author and this person has been on the sensitive list for a long time and he knows that himself feels about his security, you and I must respect his right not to take any chance with his life and liberty. Please don’t attribute it to the Government of India. Please don’t attribute it to the Congress party. But with the best of security any person is entitled to take decision that he would not like to jeopardize or endanger himself and that is all that has happened. Till now the Government of India has not changed its official decision which was announced sometimes ago that there is no restriction on his travelling.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party over Narendra Modi sitting on a fast in Godhra, Shri Singhvi said I really would not be able to comment on Shri Modi’s so-called fast unless he clarifies to the nation as to what he is expiating for. Is he by any chance expiating for the sins of his government during whose tenure over 2,000 lost their lives. Is he expiating for the fact that prosecutions and actions taken were not impartial and objective and therefore, hundreds of cases were transferred out of Gujarat by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. So the moment he clarifies, we will be able to comment. Since his object is to speak with a forked tongue and to gain cheap political mileage, one fundamental quality necessary for a fast is lacking and that is the sincerity of purpose and so long as he does not have sincerity of purpose, it is no point practicing political drama because you cannot fool even some of the people some of the times.

On another question whether the Congress Minister in West Bengal whose request for resigning has been accepted by the High Command, does it mean there is a vacuum and he will be replaced, Shri Singhvi said it is a speculative question. It is between him and the High Command and later on between him and the CM. I am not privy to this. Things happened according to agreed schedule. In fact, there is no vacuum in politics.

On another question on the case against Shri S.M. Krishna in Karnataka, Shri Singhvi said I am sure that Shri Krishna and his lawyers will deal with the matter in accordance with the law and there is nothing for us to comment now.




(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC