Q: Sir, The Congress has been making a big deal about the BJP’s slogan, if they get ‘400 paar’ they will change the Constitution, to which the BJP countering and saying that if anyone has amended the Constitution 80 times it is the Congress. If anyone has misused Art. 356, it is the Congress. So why this accusation?
A: The amendment is a separate issue. I got an amendment to Article 371 (J) for my area, Hyderabad in Karnataka, because that area is very backward. So like Manipur, Nagaland, Goa, Telangana, Vidarbha, Saurashtra… they all got the amendment under Art 371 which is a good thing. They (BJP) want to change the Constitution according to their ideology. They don’t want Fundamental Rights for poor people. They don’t want even Freedom of Speech, of Expression. They are putting in jail, even good writers, good speakers.
Q: They are saying that the example was shown to us during Indira Gandhi’s time, when Freedom of Speech was curtailed…
A: See that was a declared Emergency, and that was regretted. Whatever happened, happened. But based on that you want to do the same thing? See you can’t say the same thing a hundred times. If I have committed this mistake, it means that you want to continue making the same mistake? You are bringing in an undeclared Emergency. People are in jail for no fault. ED, CBI, CBC, IT, these agencies are there (being misused), and he’s saying ‘What happened in the Emergency, what happened after Indira Gandhi died…’ What is this?
Q: If you look at the ED cases… One of your allies, Akhilesh Yadav… Mulayam Singh Yadav was implicated in a case started by your government. So everybody misuses it…
A: See if I am misusing without reason I am also wrong. But if (you are misusing) for political reasons? When did you start putting ED cases on them? When the government is falling, when you are short of some MLAs, when you are short of some Rajya Sabha members… you do this (use the ED). You can’t blame everything on Congress, saying ‘You did this, that’s why I’m doing this’.
Q: The Prime Minister gave NewsX an interview, and what he told us is that the Congress is following communalism in the garb of secularism. All this appeasement politics he was talking about.
A: We are following the Constitution. We never appease. Freedom of Religion is there. Freedom of Expression is there. Everyone is free to follow their faith. He is saying that Congress is against Islam… If you have 2 buffaloes, 1 buffalo they will give to Muslims. See you can’t defend your own wrongs, by justifying the things we did before.
Q: In the Congress campaign, how do you see the role of Rahul and Priyanka as campaigners? Priyanka for example has emerged as one of your star campaigners.
A: They are doing good. It was our decision that everyone should go to all areas. Rahul ji is going to some places, Priyanka should go somewhere, I will go somewhere…
Q: But you grounded Priyanka in Amethi-Rae Bareli for 3 weeks.
A: No this is because Rahul ji is contesting… we wanted Rahul ji to move around, but somebody should be working there…
Q: But why make the decision to field Rahul from Rae Bareli a last-minute decision?
A: That is our decision. How can we tell you our strategy?
Q: But there are some legacy seats…
A: Whatever it may be, that is our strategy. We don’t want to tell everyone our strategy and what we are going to do. Nobody will tell you this. It is a political decision, by all our political leaders. The workers of Rae Bareli, they forced him and we also said it is better to contest, and he obliged the people of Rae Bareli.