Press Briefing Monday, 23th January 2012

Shri Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party over the statement of the BJP that it was a sort of match fixing in case of Salman Rushdie’s visit by the government, Shri Abhishek Singhvi said if this was not tragic, this statement would be comic. The BJP talking about communalism or communal issues is worse than the devil quoting the scriptures. The communalism combined with hypocrisy, combined with an extremely short memory, there has never been any programme, any ‘abhiyan’ or any elections in this country from the smallest ‘panchayat’ to the national level where the BJP has not tried to communalize issues. Its very identity is based on divisiveness and starting with divisiveness on grounds of religion apart from similar other additional issues of divisiveness. This is not only the pot calling the cattle black. This is not only the thief accusing the policeman; it is utter hypocrisy of the highest kind. The BJP has camouflaged and couched its communal politics in clever words – somebody calls it nationalism, somebody calls it cultural nationalism, somebody calls it something else but behind all of it as far as visit of Salman Rushdie is concerned, the BJP is flogging a dead horse. All issues have been clarified. The Central government has officially clarified many days ago that there has never been ban on the movement of the person or his visit or travel. The ban on the book is a different issue but if that means or BJP think that they should mean that the state government is not even having the power to share intelligence inputs, that the state government should not even alert the necessary agencies about the verified inputs it has got whether to the central government or to the organizers of the function, then I think the BJP is playing a very dangerous game. It would be the very same BJP, god forbids if tomorrow any incident occurred, would have got up and pointed an accusing finger saying that valid verified intelligence inputs were not shared and this is the opportunism and hypocrisy which the BJP is famous for.

On the question of the reaction of the Congress party over the statement of the BJP President that Narendra Modi possesses all the qualities of becoming the Prime Minister, Shri Singhvi said I have no doubt that the BJP President has made a completely valid comment going by the BJP’s definition of talent and ‘gunn’. By the BJP’s definition the Gujarat Chief Minister possesses all talents and a versatile range of competence and accomplishment because the BJP’s definition is based on communalism or on divisiveness. By that definition, I have no doubt that Mr. Gadkari has proclaimed the best choice. Fortunately for us neither Mr. Gadkari nor his party chooses the Prime Minister of India and I can assure you that the public of this country takes a very- very close and careful look at the so-called ‘gunn’ - talent before they go on to select a person for head of the government. If the most talented person for this post which the BJP can find is the person Mr. Gadkari has mentioned, then I think it shows the bankruptcy of BJP’s ideas and also shows the hidden agenda which the BJP always functions with.

On question of the reaction of the Congress party over the Project Manager connected with NHRM scam committing suicide, Shri Singhvi said I am unable to comment because this is a criminal investigation. Obviously I am not aware of the nitty-gritty facts but this is a matter, which as you know suicide by itself is a investigable issue and I think certainly this needs to be looked carefully. On a political level, I think it is extremely strange that in the five years or so of BSP’s governance model in UP, you have had so many mysterious disappearances and deaths whenever a monetary scam has come to light. I think this is something sinister. This is something much more than a coincidence and this is max of a ‘shadyantra’ or a conspiracy which deserves to be investigated but I have no doubt that action start unless this collusive government of the state and the party ruling it is removed.

On a related question on the interview on a TV channel given by UP CM Mayawati that this is a conspiracy by the central government and why was it releasing money to the state government if they were not satisfied, Shri Singhvi said I want to answer your question by asking two simple questions and that is the answer to your question. First – if all this is the imagination of the central government, why was more than half of the cabinet of UP removed by the Chief Minister? Did the Central government or Smt. Sonia Gandhi tell the CM of UP to remove the cabinet or was she acting irrationally without reason because of some imagination of hers. When she wants to remove, she gives this very reason. Today she is blaming the Congress party. Secondly it is highly misleading and dishonest to suggest that such schemes are administered by the central government and yes that is the tragedy. That makes her more culpable. The money for many of these schemes come largely from central government but as you know even for 100% central government schemes, the administering authority or implementing authority is the state government and the ‘ghapla’ you talk about, if it happens, 98% is at the state government level and therefore, this is nothing but desperate diversion of attention by misleading statements and facts and I am not talking of a particular thing or a particular issue that can be investigated. I am talking of the paradigm which has gone on for five years. Money is released on provisional bills and invoices. Everybody knows that final audit takes a long time. If moneys were held up till the final audit is done, no project would get done. Moneys are released on provisional estimation, bills submitted and a broad checking. So the whole point of the issue is that she is caught in a corner. Scam after scam is tumbling out. The moneys are gigantic and she has no explanation to offer except flimsy and ridiculous excuses which are being trotted out.

On another question on the reaction of the Congress party over Team Anna writing letters to various leaders, Shri Singhvi said I have nothing to comment as far as the contents of the letter is concerned e.g. as far as the particular regional party is concerned, they have to answer for themselves and I have nothing to say about it. Other departments may or may not answer but I do want to make a point that no self-appointed preachers and guardians of the political morals have a right to lecture, preach to the entire political class across the board in letters or otherwise. I think this preaching tone, this know-it all know tone and this approach of treating the entire political spectrum as irresponsible is not fit for the governance of this country, is shocking distrust of the democracy in itself and that is the tone and tenor of all such lectures we get. As far as individual letters are concerned, let them be answered by the addresses in each case.

On the reaction of the Congress party over the protests by various groups over US showing the golden temple in a bad light, Shri Singhvi said our response remains the same. All religions and especially in a country like India all religions are entitled to utmost respect. Anything done, spoken, repeated or projected which causes a dilution of that fundamental principle is reprehensible and therefore, we condemn the same.




(Tom Vadakkan)
Secretary, AICC