Press
Briefing Monday, 21st June 2010
Shri
Manish Tewari addressed the media today.
Shri Manish Tewari said that if you look at the events
connected with the NDA and its major constituent - the
BJP in a perspective over the last 6 years, there are
certain things which now appear to be absolutely crystal
clear. In 2004, the people of India rejected the NDA and
in 2009 the rejection was decisively reiterated. The
Biju Janata Dal decided to part ways in Orissa. In
Jharkhand you saw the Bhartiya Janata Party making an
absolute spectacle of itself in its scramble for power
and now you see the latest episode where the JD (United)
in Bihar especially its Chief Minister Mr. Nitish Kumar
has publically abraded and made his displeasure with NDA
very evident. One thing has become absolutely clear that
the NDA as an alliance has ceased to exist. It may exist
on paper but on the ground it is almost but over and it
is only a matter of time before the remaining
constituents also start looking for other alternatives.
Without going into the various facts that I have
enunciated to support the submission, allow me to
reiterate that the contention that we have made with
regard to the thesis of bi-polarity is absolutely
rejected and demolished is growing stronger by the day.
The communal and opportunistic politics which
characterized India in 1990s and was responsible for the
genesis of NDA has been firmly rejected by the people.
They have decisively across two general elections opted
for the secular and pluralistic path which is shown by
the Congress Party and the other constituents of the UPA.
As of today, we would once again like to reiterate that
the political firmament of India is characterized while
the presence of one National party i.e. the Congress and
the other political parties.
To the question over the difference in the distinction
made by the BJP once in 2004 and now the Congress Party,
Shri Tewari said that the difference in the distinction
between the submission made by the BJP and the
submission made by us today is that our submission has
been validated by the people of India across two general
elections. So that is the distinction, that is the
litmus test and the Congress party and the UPA has very
successfully withstood that litmus test.
On the question whether the end of the bi-polarization
is good for the democracy that there should be only one
party, Shri Tewari said that he has never said that
there has been only one Party. He said that depending on
the political background of the country, there is the
presence of the Congress Party and other political
parties. The people who were talking of the thesis of
bi-polarity, such thesis has been completely rejected by
the people of India.
On the question of who let Warren Anderson go from
India, Shri Tewari said that unless and until something
is not officially made public by the Government of
India, it is highly inappropriate and completely
uncalled for that we react to it. If and when the
Government does decide to make its recommendations
public, we would definitely get back to you with a
response. Shri Tewari further said that it is not for us
to be reacting to the recollection of each and every
person of an event going back 25 years. We have already
said what needed to be said in the matter. I have
nothing more to add or subtract to it. I think this
matter has been dealt with extensively by me and my
colleagues from this podium and otherwise.
On the question of alliance with Nitish Kumar in the
coming Bihar Assembly elections, Shri Tewari said that
this question has already been answered by a very senior
and distinguished leader of the Congress Party earlier
and I have nothing to add or subtract to it. It is not
as if the Chief Minister of Bihar has completely recued
himself from the circle of questions. After all he ran a
Government for 4 years and 8 months with the BJP and he
would have to answer for that. The larger point that I
was trying to make is that if you look at the sequence
of the events, the communal politics which was used by
the BJP as a building block in 1990s to construct NDA
alliance has been squarely repudiated by the people of
India and this is the message which has seeped in to the
constituents of NDA also and that is why you see them
scurrying for cover.
On the question of regional language to be used as a
method of debate in the concerned High Courts, Shri
Tewari said that this question is both serious and
sensitive and I do not think it would be appropriate for
me without structured consultations to respond to this
from this podium because obviously it has constitutional
and other obligations.
Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
