Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh is undoubtedly one of the most forthright leaders in the party. He is constantly in the news because of his controversial remarks. There have been occasions when he has landed himself in trouble with the Congress leadership, but that has never stopped him from expressing his views freely.
Lately, Digvijaya Singh has hit the headlines with his persistent refrain that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should be given full control of the Congress party and that party president Sonia Gandhi should play the role of a mentor. He also never loses an opportunity to lash out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who, in turn, accuse him of appeasing the minorities.
In a free-wheeling interview with Scroll.in, Singh talks about the rise of religious fundamentalism, why Rahul Gandhi should take charge of the Congress and the performance of the Narendra Modi government.
Would it be correct to say that there is lack of ideological clarity in the Congress today? It is not sure how it should deal with the aggressive communal agenda of the RSS and its affiliated bodies without alienating the majority community.
There is total unanimity in the party on its ideology but it is also true that priorities have to change from time to time. It is against this backdrop that Rahul Gandhi wants to take the views of party leaders as to what should be the change in the socio-economic and political ideology.
Today, look what is happening globally, whether it is the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and now France. And even in India, you see the emergence of right-wing religious fundamentalism and that is the cause of unrest in society. It would be right to say that liberal thought is under serious threat today.
All kinds of religious fundamentalism and right-wing thought are emerging. They complement each other, feed off each other. They are two faces of the same coin.
What should the Congress do in view of this prevailing situation and the popular perception that it is appeasing the minorities?
The Congress is a political party which is liberal and tolerant and which believes in equal respect for all religions and treats the whole world as a family. This fits in with the ethos of this country. Unfortunately, the BJP was able to malign the word secularism. It is now interpreted as minority appeasement, which is factually incorrect. How can any political party ignore the sentiments of the majority community? But we have to reiterate that the Congress believes in equal respect for all religions and that we are basically against any religious fundamentalism, whether it is propagated by the BJP and the RSS or the MIM [Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen] and Peace Party. We have to fight both equally aggressively.
The Congress should make it clear as to where it stands ideologically and it is for this reason that Rahul Gandhi has started consulting party leaders. It is true that we lost the last election because of the perception war.
But the Congress invariably falls between two stools. Take the issue of religious conversion…
Religious conversion has never been an issue but it has been made one by the RSS and its affiliate bodies to incite communal violence and encourage acrimony between different religious groups. Is this issue more important than development? My own take is that because of Modi’s failure to deliver on the promises he made before elections, the RSS has raised this issue. It has made Hindutva the main item on its agenda for electoral gains in Delhi and other election-going states. The core agenda of the BJP and the RSS is to encourage polarisation on religious lines for political advantage and they have camouflaged it with the plank of development.
As for the issue of religious conversion and the BJP’s proposal for an anti-conversion law, their minorities minister Najma Heptulla has said there is no need for such a law. Another minister in the NDA government, Ram Vilas Paswan, has also said the present provisions in the Constitution should not be tinkered with. The BJP should call an all-party meeting to discuss this issue. Let’s hear what they wish to incorporate in the proposed law but it has to be within the ambit of Constitutional provisions which allow a citizen to practice and preach a religion of his or her choice.
Regarding your recent statements that Rahul Gandhi should take over the party's reins: why are you making this demand? Are you suggesting that Sonia Gandhi has lost her touch or has fatigue set in?
There is no doubt that Sonia Gandhi has been one of the most successful party presidents. When she took over, the Congress had only two or three chief ministers and in a decade’s time, the figure went up to 14. She led the party to victory in 2004 and we formed the government again in 2009.
But the country is changing. It is becoming younger. She herself would like to hand over the party to the next generation and who better than Rahul Gandhi? This change can take place when the election for the post of party president is held later this year or it could even happen earlier. It is for Sonia Gandhi to decide the timing.
The Congress Working Committee ‒ the party’s highest decision-making body – is meeting on Tuesday. Do you think this issue will figure in the meeting and do you plan to raise it?
I don’t know as I have not seen the agenda. I will not raise this issue unless it is part of the agenda.
But would an issue like this be included in the agenda?
The last time when Rahul Gandhi was elevated as vice-president, the item was not on the agenda…
You have made a strong case for Rahul Gandhi but many in the Congress believe he does not have the requisite qualities to lead the party. There is also a view that the party is caught in a generational battle.
That’s not true. There is no generational war. A generational change is a process which the party has to go through. I have discussed it with a lot people in the party and they all want Rahul Gandhi to take over as president. Why don’t you allow him to prove himself? Why do you want to write him off? Don’t prejudge him.
What are your thoughts on the performance of the Modi government so far?
The Modi government has failed to deliver on its promises. The economy has come down, purchasing power in rural areas is down, the GDP is down, foreign reserves are down and all this despite the fact that the government is saving crores of rupees on its fuel import bill.
The government has not come up with any new big idea. It has changed the name of the Planning Commission to NITI Aayog but without clearing doubts about how the planning process will be undertaken. Modi’s globetrotting has resulted in no change in India’s relations with Pakistan or China. The disturbances on the border have escalated. Moreover, Modi has no control over the fringe elements in the RSS and the BJP.
After the recent mauling in elections, don’t you think the first task before the Congress is to strengthen its organisation?
I agree. Rahul Gandhi has begun consultations with party leaders on this issue. Various structural changes and amendments to the party constitution are under consideration. For instance, instead of having separate memberships for frontal organisations like the Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and Seva Dal, it is being proposed to club them together for greater cohesion in functioning. We are also drawing up state specific strategies to be worked out in consultation with state leaders.
I don’t believe we have to be pessimistic. We can recover ground. We need to build good strong regional leaders. We also have to strengthen the Gandhi family.
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Lately, Digvijaya Singh has hit the headlines with his persistent refrain that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should be given full control of the Congress party and that party president Sonia Gandhi should play the role of a mentor. He also never loses an opportunity to lash out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who, in turn, accuse him of appeasing the minorities.
In a free-wheeling interview with Scroll.in, Singh talks about the rise of religious fundamentalism, why Rahul Gandhi should take charge of the Congress and the performance of the Narendra Modi government.
Would it be correct to say that there is lack of ideological clarity in the Congress today? It is not sure how it should deal with the aggressive communal agenda of the RSS and its affiliated bodies without alienating the majority community.
There is total unanimity in the party on its ideology but it is also true that priorities have to change from time to time. It is against this backdrop that Rahul Gandhi wants to take the views of party leaders as to what should be the change in the socio-economic and political ideology.
Today, look what is happening globally, whether it is the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia and now France. And even in India, you see the emergence of right-wing religious fundamentalism and that is the cause of unrest in society. It would be right to say that liberal thought is under serious threat today.
All kinds of religious fundamentalism and right-wing thought are emerging. They complement each other, feed off each other. They are two faces of the same coin.
What should the Congress do in view of this prevailing situation and the popular perception that it is appeasing the minorities?
The Congress is a political party which is liberal and tolerant and which believes in equal respect for all religions and treats the whole world as a family. This fits in with the ethos of this country. Unfortunately, the BJP was able to malign the word secularism. It is now interpreted as minority appeasement, which is factually incorrect. How can any political party ignore the sentiments of the majority community? But we have to reiterate that the Congress believes in equal respect for all religions and that we are basically against any religious fundamentalism, whether it is propagated by the BJP and the RSS or the MIM [Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen] and Peace Party. We have to fight both equally aggressively.
The Congress should make it clear as to where it stands ideologically and it is for this reason that Rahul Gandhi has started consulting party leaders. It is true that we lost the last election because of the perception war.
But the Congress invariably falls between two stools. Take the issue of religious conversion…
Religious conversion has never been an issue but it has been made one by the RSS and its affiliate bodies to incite communal violence and encourage acrimony between different religious groups. Is this issue more important than development? My own take is that because of Modi’s failure to deliver on the promises he made before elections, the RSS has raised this issue. It has made Hindutva the main item on its agenda for electoral gains in Delhi and other election-going states. The core agenda of the BJP and the RSS is to encourage polarisation on religious lines for political advantage and they have camouflaged it with the plank of development.
As for the issue of religious conversion and the BJP’s proposal for an anti-conversion law, their minorities minister Najma Heptulla has said there is no need for such a law. Another minister in the NDA government, Ram Vilas Paswan, has also said the present provisions in the Constitution should not be tinkered with. The BJP should call an all-party meeting to discuss this issue. Let’s hear what they wish to incorporate in the proposed law but it has to be within the ambit of Constitutional provisions which allow a citizen to practice and preach a religion of his or her choice.
Regarding your recent statements that Rahul Gandhi should take over the party's reins: why are you making this demand? Are you suggesting that Sonia Gandhi has lost her touch or has fatigue set in?
There is no doubt that Sonia Gandhi has been one of the most successful party presidents. When she took over, the Congress had only two or three chief ministers and in a decade’s time, the figure went up to 14. She led the party to victory in 2004 and we formed the government again in 2009.
But the country is changing. It is becoming younger. She herself would like to hand over the party to the next generation and who better than Rahul Gandhi? This change can take place when the election for the post of party president is held later this year or it could even happen earlier. It is for Sonia Gandhi to decide the timing.
The Congress Working Committee ‒ the party’s highest decision-making body – is meeting on Tuesday. Do you think this issue will figure in the meeting and do you plan to raise it?
I don’t know as I have not seen the agenda. I will not raise this issue unless it is part of the agenda.
But would an issue like this be included in the agenda?
The last time when Rahul Gandhi was elevated as vice-president, the item was not on the agenda…
You have made a strong case for Rahul Gandhi but many in the Congress believe he does not have the requisite qualities to lead the party. There is also a view that the party is caught in a generational battle.
That’s not true. There is no generational war. A generational change is a process which the party has to go through. I have discussed it with a lot people in the party and they all want Rahul Gandhi to take over as president. Why don’t you allow him to prove himself? Why do you want to write him off? Don’t prejudge him.
What are your thoughts on the performance of the Modi government so far?
The Modi government has failed to deliver on its promises. The economy has come down, purchasing power in rural areas is down, the GDP is down, foreign reserves are down and all this despite the fact that the government is saving crores of rupees on its fuel import bill.
The government has not come up with any new big idea. It has changed the name of the Planning Commission to NITI Aayog but without clearing doubts about how the planning process will be undertaken. Modi’s globetrotting has resulted in no change in India’s relations with Pakistan or China. The disturbances on the border have escalated. Moreover, Modi has no control over the fringe elements in the RSS and the BJP.
After the recent mauling in elections, don’t you think the first task before the Congress is to strengthen its organisation?
I agree. Rahul Gandhi has begun consultations with party leaders on this issue. Various structural changes and amendments to the party constitution are under consideration. For instance, instead of having separate memberships for frontal organisations like the Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and Seva Dal, it is being proposed to club them together for greater cohesion in functioning. We are also drawing up state specific strategies to be worked out in consultation with state leaders.
I don’t believe we have to be pessimistic. We can recover ground. We need to build good strong regional leaders. We also have to strengthen the Gandhi family.