Sunday Interview: ‘We can inject fire in our workers by free and frank discussions’

Sheila Dikshit, Congress leader and former chief minister of Delhi, tells Sanjay Kaw that since she is not an astrologer, she can’t predict how Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will perform as the party’s president, but adds that his performance should only be judged when he is given full responsibility of the party

Your statement on reports suggesting that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi may take over as party president has raked up a major controversy.

All that I had said was that there is great comfort of working under Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s leadership. She was admired for her stand on the land acquisition issue. It was due to her stature that different parties came together on the contentious land acquisition bill. Her gesture to visit farmers touched the heart and soul of one and all in the country. It’s for her and the party leadership to take a call on when to elevate Mr Gandhi as the Congress president.

How would you rate Mrs Gandhi as Congress president?

She is simply wonderful. She led the Congress to victory in two consecutive Lok Sabha elections. She did not become the Prime Minister. Instead, she proposed Dr Manmohan Singh’s name and got him appointed as the Prime Minister. Under her guidance, the Congress was able to form governments in several states. Mrs Gandhi has carried forward the pro-worker image of the Congress very effectively all across the country.

How do you look at Mr Gandhi taking over as the president of the Congress Party?

Given an opportunity, I am quite sure that he will do well. But only time can tell how he will perform as the party president. We are not into astrology where we can predict how one is going to perform in future; we are into politics. We have to be very realistic in our opinion and analysis. But if Mr Gandhi is given an opportunity and full responsibility, only then will it be fair to judge his performance.

How has Mr Gandhi performed so far?

It will be premature to judge his performance. I must tell you that in one of the press conferences at Ashoka hotel, just before the second Lok Sabha elections, he was brilliant. It’s not a question of success and failures of an individual or party. In politics, you win and lose.

While Mr Gandhi has been advocating that office-bearers should be democratically elected through transparent processes, there is a feeling that the Congress is going to impose him as the party’s president.

Everybody participates in the election of the Congress president. It is a collective decision to elect the Congress head. We must also know that Mr Gandhi is the vice-president of the party; rest are general secretaries. He is the No. 2 in the party. Where is the choice?

You have been in active politics for a long time. But it seems you are not very active anymore.

Times have changed. One’s own capacity to do something which one has done in the past also changes with passing time. It’s all a matter of time. New leaders have come in. I wish them good luck. It took me one year to put my party in place in Delhi. Then I was involved in the city’s governance for 15 long years. I am always available for my party. Whatever task my party wants me to perform, I am always available.

You were the first to involve people in decision-making through the Bhagidhari Scheme. Now the Aam Aadmi Party wants to involve mohalla committees in deciding the city’s budget.

We granted financial allocations to people through our deputy commissioners. Now let’s see how the AAP is going to involve people in the making of the city’s budget. First they promised free water, now they have hiked the water tariff by 10 per cent. There is nothing new in power subsidy. We, too, were giving subsidy on power.

The AAP has been fooling people with their fake promises. They talk about corruption, but can they curb corruption through a telephone call in just three days? They have spun dreams and I wish their dreams come true.

However, if they fail, they will stand exposed. The AAP’s 70 poll promises were just a gimmick to garner votes. Now the big question is whether chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will prove himself as a good administrator like the way he has proved himself to be a great anarchist.

What is the road ahead for the Congress?

We have to put our house in order. We must come out with a roadmap for continuity of the 68 years of development. We have to collectively think on how we can make India a world-class country. We need to think how we can have inclusive growth along with a secular society. The BJP’s “love jihad” and “ghar wapsi” are retrograde ideas for India’s unity and diversity.

Your take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

We should wait for another five months. The disillusionment with the Bharatiya Janata Party government has already begun. It seems as if the election campaign is still on as nothing on the ground is taking shape — our traders are suffering, the prices of essential commodities have gone through the roof. Where is Modiji’s “swachh Bharat?” There is a lot of talk, but no action.

And what about the Congress?

We need to concentrate on policies that have actually built India. We are a democratic party and we must encourage people’s opinions. We need to churn ideas at meetings all across the country. Our workers must feel inspired and charged.

What ails the Congress?

The Congress needs to reinvent itself. We need to induct fresh blood and utilise the experience of senior leaders. We can inject hope, confidence and fire in our workers by holding free and frank discussions.