Press
Briefing Friday, 21st January 2011
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said we truly pity the desperation
reflected in Mr. Advani’s attack on the Prime Minister.
The eternally in-waiting Prime Minister Mr. Advani has
neither the patience to wait nor to learn the lessons of
history. Time and again the BJP and Mr. Advani have
tried the tactics and the techniques of baseless attacks
on the Prime Minister. Each time, everyone in the
country knows, the crisp political reply, the crisp
political slap given by the people of India to such
attacks. In fact the whole country knows the truth. The
best not kept non secret namely that the wireless remote
begins from Nagpur and ends at BJP headquarters or while
the BJP in power at Prime Minister’s residence. This is
the real weakness. This is the real remote control. The
whole country knows the arrangement between the RSS and
the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of the
NDA. The whole country knows that the smallest incident,
the minutest decision making had these BJP running
helter-skelter either to Jhandelwalan or to Nagpur. This
has become the Jhandelwalan Nagpur Party especially when
they were in power. We may say that globally no other
democracy in the world has as visible as weak, a
relationship between the remote controller and the
remote controlled as the relationship between the RSS
and the so-called main Opposition party in this country.
This relationship of remote controller and remote
controlled involves an organization – RSS - which
masquerades as a cultural and social organization while
directly pedaling politics. It does so to avoid the
discipline of accountability. That is why they do it
indirectly in the masquerading guise of a cultural or
social organization. To hear Mr. Advani and the BJP talk
of weakness and remote control is worse than the devil
quoting the scriptures. Of course, if we expand on to
weakness, we have seen many-many examples of the ‘Loh
Purush’ and the ‘party with the difference’, melting
like wax. It melted like wax at Kandhar just a few years
ago when the self-styled ‘Loh Purush’ and the
self-styled ‘Party with a difference’, showed India its
true face. The self-created ‘iron-man’ was riddled with
attacks on Parliament, Akshardham and Raghunath Mandir
and many more examples. Weakness is what the BJP does to
divide the nation, to divide voters, to divide
communities for cheap electoral gains. The weakness is
what led them to support the ‘Left’, not so long ago in
1977. Weakness is the shard and the hypocrisy of putting
Articles 370, Uniform Civil Code and other so-called BJP
poster-boy issues out of the window, on the back burner.
This is true weakness. Weakness led them when PM and DPM
to give lectures on ‘Raj Dharma’ and then fiddle while
Gujarat burnt. The pretended strength which this party
and its leaders get is the strength from false illusions
generated by empty slogans like ‘feel-good’ or ‘shining
India’. That is known as hollow strength. We like to end
by saying that whenever the aspirations of the former
Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister
eternal-waiting start to wax in vain in the same
proportions his desperations begin to show in wild and
baseless attacks on an Hon’ble man, a man of integrity
and a man whom the nation looks up to.
On a question as to what message the strong Prime
Minister wants to give to the nation by saying ‘main
bhavishya-wakta nahin’ on the price-rise issue, Shri
Singhvi said as to in what context you were putting up
this question since there may be various contexts and
references. Shri Singhvi further said that he is not
only in disagreement with your views but the media has
not been able to correctly understand the message the
Hon’ble Prime Minister intended to deliver. It is a
wrong interpretation. No political party can be more
concerned on the price-rise issue than the ruling party.
This government has taken up this issue very seriously
and everyone is aware of the steps taken by the
government to control the price-rise. Shri Singhvi
further added that the Hon’ble Prime Minister does not
forecast but believes in taking strong measures and he
has assured the country and the results in near future
will speak for themselves.
On another question whether the Congress party agrees
with Ms. Mamata Banerjee that petroleum prices needs to
be controlled and wanted the government to revisit the
issue, Shri Singhvi said this is a coalition, we honour
and value the views of each of our coalition partner and
the views given are welcome. Shri Singhvi further said,
however, as of today, you have to take the policy that
exists which is one of decontrol. Of course the Congress
party is interested in minimizing the impact of oil
price increase either globally or in India. Of course,
the Congress party would like, to the extent possible,
balancing all the exigencies, for either there be no
price rise or minimal price rise. We have made it clear
several times earlier but ultimately it is for the
government to govern and they are in full knowledge of
these facts and figures. We have no doubt that every
attempt is being made. But merely because of the fact a
view has been expressed by an ally, and that view
certainly is a view of virtually everybody in the UPA,
it does not mean that there is an automatic change in
policy. These things have to be seen very carefully.
On another question of the stand of the Congress party
on Supreme Court slamming the government on the issue of
black-money and describing it as flounder of national
wealth, Shri Singhvi said I do not agree with the
characterization. The press loves to use the word
‘slam’. The important point is - in the exchange of
views in any matter, brutally strong questions are put
to each side. This is a way of framing a question, no
final observation, no conclusion and no decision. The
government has a stand. It has put the stand in writing
in the public domain in front of all of you after
putting it in court. They stick by their stand. Please
do not assume that the stand can be rubbished by you in
the press and thrown out before a judgment comes. The
stand is simple. According to the government, which is
in review of such things, disclosures are made for a
limited specific purpose and if the broad purpose of
that disclosure is violated, you may get the benefit of
the satisfaction of dealing with the facts in this
disclosure, but in future you will get no further
disclosures because those who have disclosed have done
it on certain conditionality. These are the exigencies
of governance. Let us wait for a while as case is
on-going. It is purely subjudice. Media wants to
pronounce a verdict before a verdict. We are not in the
business of pronouncing a verdict before a verdict.
On the reaction of the Congress party on BJP hoisting
Tri-colour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar and the statement of
Mr. Yaseen Malik in this regard, Shri Sinvhgi said that
let us be clear that there are laws in this country
which can deal with any anti national or wrong acts done
by anybody. Nobody is exempt but equally those who know
and look carefully, nobody- no right thinking sensible
Indian, will justify this deliberate provocative
politics of the flag. The flag lives in our hearts and
minds. Of course, everybody respects the flag, is
entitled to hoist a flag but not when it is deliberately
used for ulterior and mischievous motives and purposes
which is what the BJP is trying to do. As far as the
rest of the law and order issues are concerned, please
leave it to the State government. They are fully capable
of dealing with it but not if you try to deliberately
add fuel to the firer as the BJP is doing.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress party
over the observations of the Supreme Court on the
remarks made by Shri Kapil Sibal that there is no loss
to the exchequer in 2-G spectrum and the PAC Chairman
writing to the Speaker of Lok Sabha saying that
Ministers should not interfere in the constitutional
bodies, Shri Singhvi said as far as the Supreme Court
observations are concerned, I have already said these
are on-going proceedings and would be unfair for the
party to react in this manner. You must ask and consult
the Minister concerned. As far as the PAC is concerned,
this is view of a Committee of the Parliament; it has
come to us through the press. Let the Speaker, if the
Speaker so wants, ask either the parties concerned or
the Minister concerned and then the view will be made
known. Today it is only an expression of view by a
Parliamentary Committee.
On the question of Governor and Chief Minister of
Karnataka at loggerheads, Shri Singhvi said there is no
question of loggerheads. The Governor is doing what he
thinks is well within his constitutional rights and
duties. He has the authority to consider whether or not
to grant sanction in certain cases. If and as and when,
it is so done, that action is also validly reviewable by
the law of the land. So, I see no reason to get excited
prematurely on a matter which has not come in the
domain. No decision has yet been taken. The BJP is
politicizing the issue at the moment.
On the question of Shri Mirwaij Farooq of Hurriyat
Conference rejecting the proposal of the interlocutors
sent to J&K and suggested that China should mediate on
Kashmir issue, Shri Singhvi said I think your question
accurately sums up the answer in itself. If your
question involves persons supposedly holding responsible
position making such absolutely ridiculous unconnected
and untenable statements, I think only the statement has
to be quoted to get the answer. I think such persons
have not understood the true essence and spirit of
Indian democracy - the pride of the world - in the
world’s largest democracy and are really making not only
completely irresponsible but statements which can only
be described as immature and foolish.
Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
