Press Briefing Tuesday, 7 Apr 2009

Shri Ashwani Kumar addressed the media today.

Before Shri Ashwani Kumar addressed the media, a journalist from Navbharat Times, Shri Shakeel Ahmed, on behalf of the media persons, condemned this afternoon’s incident and termed it as unfortunate and thanked the Congress Party as well as Shri Chidambaram for showing magnanimity towards the said journalist by pardoning him for his unfortunate act.

In his press briefing, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that the pilgrimage of Shri Rajnath Singh to Etah Jail to pay obeisance to the new ‘poster boy’ of his party’s divisive politics is the ultimate denouncement of the BJP’s pretension to a pan Indian agenda. The ‘party with a difference’ has repeatedly shown how its political agenda is different from the core values of the Indian nation state. This election is, therefore, a choice between Congress Party anchored in the finest traditions of liberal nationalism and a communal ‘Frankenstein’ that is rearing its head once again in Pilibhit after Gujarat.

The leadership of the BJP is indeed exceptional not for its capacity to inspire the nation but for its ability and penchant to express it. The Congress leadership on the contrary has been inspirational and has shown the capacity to give to the country leadership capable of shaping and responding to the will of our age.

Shri Kumar further said that the self proclaimed warriors ‘Defending the civilization’ are the principal antagonists of the very idea of India stands decisively established by Pilibhit yatra of the BJP’s mukhia.

The Indian National Congress calls upon the people to decisively reject the anarchist and divisive agenda of the BJP in favour of national empowerment and politics of inclusion represented by the Congress. The Indian National Congress is confident that the people of India will see through the BJP’s game plan to detract from the main issues before the nation i.e. security, good governance and economic empowerment of the millions of our people whose welfare must be the first charge on the resources of the Indian nation state. On all these core issues BJP has established its difference as a party with neither a vision for the future nor its own programme for a united, modern and progressive India.

On the question of how the agenda of the Congress Party is different from that of the Third Front, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that our agendas are agendas of national empowerment. The Left party continues to live in history and the party that refuses to see where the world is going can never be an agent of change and can never be an agent of proctors. That is the difference between the Congress and the Third Front.

In reply to a question why Congress Party has not fielded any candidate from the constituency from where Maneka Gandhi is contesting, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that is the question that will be decided according to the assessment of our political objective.

On the question of reaction of the Congress Party over the statement of Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that it is incumbent upon every political leader and activist in the country to so express his/her views which will not be offensive either to the sensitivity of the people concerned or are such, that to be said, to be consistent with civilized political essence. Shri Kumar further said that the Congress Party seeks to abide and honour the judicial verdict but has never commented on judicial process.

On the question as to how the Congress party responds to larger issues that the victims of 1984 riots have not been given justice for the last 35 years and how could you respond to the allegation that the CBI has been manipulated to shield Shri Jagdish Tytler and Shri Sajjan Kumar, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that he distinctly remembers that in his recent press conference, the media raised this issue and he had given a detailed reply.

Shri Kumar said that the Congress party has never interfered in the course of justice or investigation in any case whatsoever-- not in the past, not now and will not do so in future. This is a 25 years old case and the CBI on the basis of evidence before it has filed a report. That report is still not final; it is under consideration of the Court. The final verdict on the report will be that of the Court and the Congress Party, as a political party, has nothing to do with that process. It is very clear that unless the Court says something to the contrary, it cannot be assumed that the court will not accept it.

Shri Ashwani Kumar said that as far as the sentiments are concerned, the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and our leader Smt. Sonia Gandhi suo moto have stated in the Parliament that what had happened was unfortunate. The Congress Party has always tried to heal such wounds and had never tried to open the wounds.

On the question of invoking of NSA on Shri Varun Gandhi, Shri Kumar further said that the NSA has been imposed by the State Government. Whether its imposition was wrong or right would depend upon the facts before the State Government and the Congress Party is not in a position to respond on this as we do not have facts of the case. The Congress Party has always been against the abuse or misuse of any law much more of any stringent law. In this case whether it was justified or not, Shri Ashwani Kumar said that it is for the State Government to answer.



(Tom Vadakkan)

Secretary, AICC