NEW DELHI: The following are excerpts of an interview with former Prime Minister V.P. Singh.
‘What is your view of the new government and the Congress I Janata Dal(S) arrangement?
V.P. Singh: It does not have the people’s mandate. It is a political oddity. A group which can hardly produce quorum is heading the government and is sustained by a party four times its size. Their political interests are conflicting. A successful Chandra Shekhar as Prime Minister will mean oblivion for Rajiv Gandhi. How is Rajiv Gandhi going to reconcile to this? If he (Chandra Shekhar) succeeds, Rajiv Gandhi’s own future is under a cloud. So he will see this government go down once it starts registering successes and builds its own cases. He (Rajiv Gandhi) has got a political duster to dust his house and finally after all the dusting is over he will throw it away. It is so obvious. Where will be the political clout? Can this government challenge the political line of the Congress? Even a child can see.
Did you at any time seek Congress I support for the survival of your government?
V.P. Singh: No. Never.
But Mr Rajiv Gandhi made his allegation in the Lok Sabha
V.P Singh Yes But, when Fernandes confronted him and said I have never ever met you, he said Femandes had met Sharad Pawar. ‘And then Mr Fernandes said if I were to tell you what Sharad Pawar said, you will drown yourself. Many Congress men since the Morcha days been expressing dissatisfaction, Many are dissatisfied with their leader. They contact us and say they are fed up. Certainly, we interact but certainly it ‘was not to save the government on the 7th (November). When we had decided to jettison the government, then going up to the 7th was not to save the government. We wanted the country to witness who is on which side. Daggers were flung from the front which was expected from the Congress but they were also flung from the side and back.
Do you thing this government will last?
V.P. Singh: No. How can it?
Then how long it will survive?
V.P. Singh: So long as it’s real owners the Congress wish it.
There was a lot of talk about horse-trading. Do you subscribe to the view that MPs were bought over?
V.P. Singh: One thing I have been saying even before the elections. The crown of Delhi is not in Delhi but in the treasure chests of Bombay and Calcutta. And that is going to be the greatest danger in the coming years. The clout of money and muscle is increasing in politics. Five star hotels have been very active centers of business during this period and many complained that they have been offered huge amounts, Bhagey Goverdhan told me earlier that he was offered Rs 50. Lakh and a ministerial post and he had turned it down. This is what he told me and everyone. So now you have a witness in their own camp.
But he finally went over to the other side.
V.P. Singh: This is what he told me and can vouch for it and I have got witnesses. This is the testimony of a member of that camp. What more evidence do you want?
Do you see the hand of any business house?
V.P. Singh: Certainly this was there, Also ‘we were aware that the federal court judgment on Bofors was due to come by the end of October or middle of November. And as we had won in the Zurich cantonal court, it ‘was expected that we will win in the federal court. And therefore, there was combined with all this, very well designed effort combined with money to ensure that this government is out by the end of October or middle of November. Because they did not want the papers that would have been given by the banks to be in the hands of the previous government.
When you came to power, it was said hat you will have the names (of the recipients of the Bofors payoffs) within 15 days, this was the general expectation.
V.P. Singh: Freezing of accounts in Switzerland is very difficult but we did it. We also got the secret report of the Swedish audit bureau, Why could not the previous ‘government get the same results. Obviously he political will was absent and they did not want this to come. They are now exposed that they didn’t want to reach the truth. The truth was uncomfortable have proved, at least in one year’s time, after the judgment of the federal court that his was possible. Now the question is whether an SHO can do the investigation. The investigation is done by the investigating agency but the political will does make difference as contrasted by the previous government and ours. We blacklisted Bofors, They didn’t, and we had to act with the sobriety of the Government of India. And ye didn’t want to make propaganda that could have affected our success in the Swiss courts which might have looked at it as political vendetta. So we were very scrupulous not to give that colour. And so we quietly and efficiently did it. And out quiet efficiency was taken as if we were not doing anything.
Do you thing this Government will pursue the inquiry?
V.P. Singh: I don’t know. I am myself being accused of complicity by the Prime Minister, officials what message will it give Jo the officers and politically to the governments concerned.
Do you think this is the central issue governing the arrangement between the Congress I and the Janata Dal(S)?
V.P. Singh can’t say
Now there are other cases before another cantonal court.
V.P. Singh: When we have proved that we can succeed in one case, there is no reason why it should be otherwise in the other court.
‘What should the government do now?
V.P. Singh: Pursue it with Sweden.
Do you think this government will hush up the inquiry?
V.P. Singh: I don’t start with suspicion but coming events will prove this.
How does it feel to be out of office?
V.P. Singh: I have been in office so many times. Public life is a continuum. Offices are just pauses. Commitments remain the same whether in office or out of it. Whether 1am chief minister, finance minister, defence minister or Prime Minister always the choice has come between certain principles or the chair. For me, it is a repeat experience. Nothing new.
How is it that in your case you are always confronted with this kind of a choice?
V.P. Singh thinks you will be confronted when you start fighting a system. In finance chose to fight the economic status quo. I was moved out to defence and I chose to fight the political establishment. So I was eased out of the party. This time I have challenged the social establishment and I had to sacrifice the Prime Minister Ship. But certainly every time it has been a fight ‘against the establishment. First the economic, second the political and then the social.
Why did you not tender your resignation on October 23 the moment the BJP withdrew support to your government?
V.P. Singh: A line of tension had been drawn from Somnath to Ayodhya and there was apprehension of breach of peace in many parts of the country. If I had quit at this juncture, it would have seemed like I was running away from the challenge. All this was discussed in the (party’s) parliamentary board and it was decided that the challenge should be met.
‘What, according to you, led to the fall of your government?
V.P. Singh: Our decision. We decided to jettison the government. Because the BJP dictated that you have to follow a certain line if you want our support. To our point, that was wrong, There was no inevitability Of the fall of the government. We could have compromised with the BJP and the government would have continued, Many times, one has to choose between office and principle and for me it has happened so many times. Therefore, it was not because of any underhand games or this or that It ‘was plain and straight issue based and we opted out of government.
You entered into an electoral understanding and had seat adjustments with the BIP in the last elections. Side by side, you did not want to address election meetings from rostrums flying BJP flags. Was there no contradiction in this?
V.P. Singh: There is a difference between seat adjustments and alliance. Seat adjustments are electoral adjustments. There is no commitment on policy matters. Alliance is pre, during and postelection understanding like the National Front was an alliance. After the election, BJP said they will extend critical support. It was not qualified support. Never during the election or thereafter did they say they will link Ramjanmabhoomi to support. They used to say we give moral support to VHP. Then the basic shift ‘came about in the rath yatra, they linked it to support. Not only did they link it to support they went round with the election symbol symbolizing the mixing of religion and politics. Not even the Muslims are against a Ram temple in Ayodhya. But there is a court in junction order to maintain the status quo of the Babri masjid. You cannot go and destroy it. You should wait for the court verdict. I had offered a good adjoining piece of land. I said build a temple here.
‘That was the ordinance you promulgated?
V.P. Singh: No, Otherwise also there were other proposals. There was the “Ram Katha Park.” Because that was government land, I did not need an ordinance also. And they have collected five to six crores, they say. What is this election symbol going around? If you are for Ram, be for Ram. ‘Why are you enchasing him and putting him in the ballot box?
‘What do you say to the view that your decision on implementing the Mandal Commission report forced the BJP to go on this Ram Janmabhoomi issue because, otherwise, they thought they would be completely marginalized?
V.P. Singh: As far as Mandal is concerned, it is not a divisive issue. It is bridging the divide. Our approach is not to divide. Our approach is not to divide the country, but a family runs only if everyone has a share and a say. So if the country is a family, every section should have a share and a say, If you objectively analyze the decision making structure, very large sections, despite almost half century after independence have been kept out. The iniquitous social structure is sustained by the iniquitous power structure. Therefore, there is need for affirmative action. Also, deep social frustrations can convert themselves into a revolt against the political system itself, The symptoms must be seen and attended to in time, Otherwise, discontent seeps in deeply and then it finds a violent expression which a status quo society does not understand,
Do you think the Janata Dal and the BJP can come together ever again?
V.P. Singh: No, Not for any political alignment. It is ruled out.
There is a view that the Janata Dal could have remained united if you stepped down and made way for a new leader, though you continued to enjoy majority support in the party.
V.P.Singh: The basic political question has to be honestly answered. Are we to form a government on Congress support? If they are so enamored of unity in the party. I am ready to quit. They come, elect their own leader and sit in the opposition, Even now that is the test of their love for the party. My offer is very clear. They will not. Their love of the chair is greater with the support of the Congress. If it is only leadership. Let them join. I will quit the leadership. We are basically opposed to having a government with the support of the Congress. The divide has come there. In a democracy you can change the leader and in fact every month I used to go through this test and every month MPs used to express themselves in my favour in overwhelming majority.
Where was the need to break your party? Or was there need only to take office? So, to cover up their irresistible urge to come to office they are making these excuses.
‘What the Congress has done is not fair for the country. They are the single largest party. It would have been more legitimate for the Congress to form the government. They should have shouldered the responsibility of the country. Either they don’t have the courage or the answers. They want to make a scapegoat, while they dictate to the government, they don’t take the blame. They can conveniently jettison it when required and say we are the only saviors of the country. That is the game plan.
Why did you not recommend dissolution of Parliament?
V.P Singh: I had said much earlier that the BJP withdraws support I was not recommending dissolution. Many a time people don’t believe. They have some suspicions.
Yes, sometimes one wonders why the Prime Minister is saying this or that.
V.P.Singh: l was not being smarter by one but 1 was saying what I was behaving in, It is always understood in terms of some cleverness. They never take anyone seriously. It takes time, now after Mandal say a certain thing they will think I will do it
Did you feel hemmed in by colleagues like Mr Chandra Shekhar and Mr Devi Lal in the party and government?
V.P Singh: lt took a lot of time… first three months it was smooth running until the assembly elections. Then it’s tasted from Meham and after Meham it was Mayhem all the time. It took a lot of my energy. I took a lot of pains to bring all the parties together along with other leaders. But this continuously absorbed my energies and, being a minority government also it gave me very little time.
Mr Chandra Shekhar has been bitter about the way you were elected leader of the Janata Dal Parliamentary Party last year. Do you now think it would have been better to take the right royal path? Why not have election of a leader? Why do political parties shy away from this?
V.P. Singh: Anybody could have contested. Anybody was free to say Iam a candidate. After that anybody could have moved a resolution asking fora leadership election. Every time, even if a single letter came, I put it before the party and said “here is a letter seeking change of leadership. What is your opinion?” So, I was continuously in an election process.
‘Mr Chandra Shekhar has said that it was his conviction that you would be a disaster as Prime Minister,
V.P.Singh :I hope he succeeds.
How do you think he will compare as Prime Minister?
V.P.Singh :I should not prejudge.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 7, 1990
