Congress fought coalition of BJP, AAP, AIMIM in Gujarat: Congress MP Digviaya Singh | India News
Congress‘s Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh is one of the main organisers of the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra which is being led by party leader Rahul Gandhi. Flagged off from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, the 3570-km yatra has so far covered 41 districts in eight states.
Currently, it is in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. In an exclusive interview to Kumar Shakti Shekhar, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said the yatra has generated a debate on the basic issue of the need for peace and harmony in the country.
He alleged that the BJP used money, muscle and state machinery, and fought the recently-concluded Gujarat assembly election in alignment with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Asaduddin Owaisi-headed All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). He exuded confidence that the Congress would win next year’s assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. Excerpts:
What has been the response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra so far?
The response has been much better than we had expected. Starting from Kanyakumari till Sawai Madhopur (in Rajasthan), where we are now.
How was the response in Madhya Pradesh, where you come from?
The response has been tremendous all over, including Madhya Pradesh.
Where does the yatra go from here?
From Rajasthan it will go to Haryana followed by Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab and finally to Jammu and Kashmir.
You have said that the yatra is not associated with assembly elections. Then what is it for?
Basically, it addresses the concern of inflation. The rising disparity between the rich and the poor, the rising unemployment, the rising communal tensions and the rising persecution of innocent people such as activists, tribals, Scheduled Castes and minorities. They are being unnecessarily harassed. In fact, they are not being just harassed but false cases are being registered against them. They are being harassed just because they stood up to say what they believe in and which is their constitutional right.
Do you think that the yatra has made any impact?
Well, that is for the people to see and people to understand. There was a general criticism about the Congress party that it is not taking to the streets. So, we have taken to the streets.
Is the yatra serving its purpose?
It has certainly generated, I would say, a debate that yes, we need to, sort of, address these basic issues. Everyone wants peace. They do not want tensions. Even our Sanatan Dharm says ‘Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti. Shanti paath hota hai hamesha (peace prayers take place always)’. In our shlokas we say, ‘Praniyon mein sadbhavna ho, vishwa ka kalyan ho. Vasudev kutumbakam.’ This is the ethos of India, the ethos of Sanatan Dharm, that everyone is part of a family. Everyone is equal. Why discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, language and the like.
Coming to elections, the Congress has won the Himachal Pradesh assembly poll but lost Gujarat and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. What do you have to say about that?
If you see, the Himachal population has less than 5 per cent of minorities. More than 95 per cent people are Hindus. So now you see the difference it (Bharat Jodo Yatra) is making. As far as Gujarat is concerned, we were fighting a coalition of BJP, AAP and AIMIM. Now you see, all the five AAP MLAs are going to the BJP.
But the Congress’s performance has been disastrous in Gujarat. Do you think it is just because of AAP and AIMIM?
If you see the vote configuration, if you add the AIMIM and AAP votes, we would have got 55 to 60 seats.
But still the Congress would not have won the assembly election.
Yes, demoralisation had set in. I do not want to say much on that but for five years, the MLAs were being bought over the counter by the BJP. More than 20 of our MLAs, strong MLAs, were bought over at huge amounts. They were our winning candidates. They had been winning continuously. Mohan Singh Rathwa had won 10 times. He joined the BJP. His son won again. So, basically, the BJP is using money, muscle and machinery – all three together.
How will the Congress counter the BJP?
This is how we counter. By public awakening.
Madhya Pradesh will go to election next year. By this time, the results would likely be out. How do you see the Congress’s prospects in the state?
I am telling you today. Mark my words. Talk to me in the first week of December next year. We will form the government.
On what basis do you say this?
On the basis of 50 years of my political experience. When I said in 2018, we formed the government in Madhya Pradesh.
Currently, it is in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. In an exclusive interview to Kumar Shakti Shekhar, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said the yatra has generated a debate on the basic issue of the need for peace and harmony in the country.
He alleged that the BJP used money, muscle and state machinery, and fought the recently-concluded Gujarat assembly election in alignment with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Asaduddin Owaisi-headed All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). He exuded confidence that the Congress would win next year’s assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. Excerpts:
What has been the response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra so far?
The response has been much better than we had expected. Starting from Kanyakumari till Sawai Madhopur (in Rajasthan), where we are now.
How was the response in Madhya Pradesh, where you come from?
The response has been tremendous all over, including Madhya Pradesh.
Where does the yatra go from here?
From Rajasthan it will go to Haryana followed by Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab and finally to Jammu and Kashmir.
You have said that the yatra is not associated with assembly elections. Then what is it for?
Basically, it addresses the concern of inflation. The rising disparity between the rich and the poor, the rising unemployment, the rising communal tensions and the rising persecution of innocent people such as activists, tribals, Scheduled Castes and minorities. They are being unnecessarily harassed. In fact, they are not being just harassed but false cases are being registered against them. They are being harassed just because they stood up to say what they believe in and which is their constitutional right.
Do you think that the yatra has made any impact?
Well, that is for the people to see and people to understand. There was a general criticism about the Congress party that it is not taking to the streets. So, we have taken to the streets.
Is the yatra serving its purpose?
It has certainly generated, I would say, a debate that yes, we need to, sort of, address these basic issues. Everyone wants peace. They do not want tensions. Even our Sanatan Dharm says ‘Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Om Shanti. Shanti paath hota hai hamesha (peace prayers take place always)’. In our shlokas we say, ‘Praniyon mein sadbhavna ho, vishwa ka kalyan ho. Vasudev kutumbakam.’ This is the ethos of India, the ethos of Sanatan Dharm, that everyone is part of a family. Everyone is equal. Why discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, language and the like.
Coming to elections, the Congress has won the Himachal Pradesh assembly poll but lost Gujarat and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. What do you have to say about that?
If you see, the Himachal population has less than 5 per cent of minorities. More than 95 per cent people are Hindus. So now you see the difference it (Bharat Jodo Yatra) is making. As far as Gujarat is concerned, we were fighting a coalition of BJP, AAP and AIMIM. Now you see, all the five AAP MLAs are going to the BJP.
But the Congress’s performance has been disastrous in Gujarat. Do you think it is just because of AAP and AIMIM?
If you see the vote configuration, if you add the AIMIM and AAP votes, we would have got 55 to 60 seats.
But still the Congress would not have won the assembly election.
Yes, demoralisation had set in. I do not want to say much on that but for five years, the MLAs were being bought over the counter by the BJP. More than 20 of our MLAs, strong MLAs, were bought over at huge amounts. They were our winning candidates. They had been winning continuously. Mohan Singh Rathwa had won 10 times. He joined the BJP. His son won again. So, basically, the BJP is using money, muscle and machinery – all three together.
How will the Congress counter the BJP?
This is how we counter. By public awakening.
Madhya Pradesh will go to election next year. By this time, the results would likely be out. How do you see the Congress’s prospects in the state?
I am telling you today. Mark my words. Talk to me in the first week of December next year. We will form the government.
On what basis do you say this?
On the basis of 50 years of my political experience. When I said in 2018, we formed the government in Madhya Pradesh.
