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The Rediff Interview/Ranjit Deshmukh

'Whatever went wrong, somebody close to Sharad Pawar will have to be held responsible'

Politics is full of uncertainties, it is said, and for proof one need not look further than the Congress party's fortunes in Maharashtra. In the recent general election, it shocked political pundits by winning 37 out of 48 seats in the state, and trounced the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance.

Just as it seemed that the Congress was on the comeback road in an electorally significant state, it received a severe jolt in last month's Rajya Sabha election. Its official candidate, and party president Sonia Gandhi's nominee, Ram Pradhan, was defeated in the biennial poll, despite the Congress having had the required votes for him to sail through. Naturally, blame for this debacle was laid at the Maratha leader Sharad Pawar's door, since his own nominee, who was dependent on the Congress's surplus votes, was elected to the RS.

This was cannon-fodder for the anti-Pawar camp, always an active component of the Maharashtra Congress, which started baying for blood. As the factions for and against him started flexing their muscles, caught in between was Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ranjit Deshmukh, a Pawar confidant, who suddenly found himself without a job. Whether was dismissed from his post, or persuaded to resign, is a matter of opinion, even as he insists that it does not matter either way.

In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay, Deshmukh discusses the crisis of confidence that suddenly seems to have overcome the Congress in Maharashtra.

Now that you are no more the MPCC president, what role do you foresee for yourself in politics?

I have been a Congress worker since the beginning. So, whether I am in office or out of it, it does not matter to me. Whatever responsibilities are given to me by the party high command, I will fulfill them dutifully. Besides that, my job will be to strengthen the Congress in Maharashtra along with all other Congressmen. So, I will continue doing that.

Why did you resign from the MPCC presidentship?

You know about the debacle of the official candidate of the Congress party in the Rajya Sabha election. Since I was the MPCC president, I owned moral responsibility for it and resigned.

But don't you think, had you continued in the post, you could have strengthened the party more rather than being out of power?

That is up to the All India Congress Committee to decide. As a party chief I took moral responsibility and resigned.

But isn't it true that cross-voting in Rajya Sabha election is nothing new? So, why did you take this extreme step?

It is true that these things happen often, almost in all indirect elections like this one. This happened in other states too, like in Orissa with the Congress. But somewhere, the AICC had to take a decision to ensure discipline in the party. So, they started with me.

Do you have any regrets over losing your job?

No, none at all.

It was during your term as MPCC chief that all the Dalit parties came together, along with the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh, and also formed an alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra. Now that you are not there, will this tieup face a setback?

No, I don't think so. Individuals do not matter in the organisation. I am sure the new president, who will be appointed, will take all the parties together and build up the party.

How far will the results of the Rajya Sabha election affect the assembly election in Maharashtra in 2000?

I don't think it will have any effect on the Vidhan Sabha election. They are direct elections, and there were indirect elections. The performance of this state government is deteriorating day by day. And the Congress is the only alternative in Maharashtra. So, we are bound to take over.

How will you enthuse the Congress workers in the assembly election when your official candidate is defeated in the RS election and there is a lot of subsequent disenchantment within the party?

There are so many problems. The state government has failed to do something for the farmers who are driven to suicide. In fact, the number of factories which are closing is at a record high. So is the number of unemployed people. This government has created chaos everywhere. They are bound to be defeated.

Do you foresee an alliance among the Congress and the RPI and Samajwadi Party in the coming election?

Yes, it is still too early. But my expectation is that this alliance will continue.

You have gone out of your way to defend the ten MLAs who were chargesheeted by the AICC for cross-voting in the council election. But why?

You see, there is a practice in all parties that requires the signature of ten MLAs to nominate a candidate to the Vidhan Parishad and Rajya Sabha. Taking the signatures of ten MLAs at the eleventh hour is not possible, they are taken eight to ten days before the actual, official nomination. So while signing, they do not know whose nomination form they are signing. The party can decide at the last moment as to who is the party nominee. It is declared at the eleventh hour. So these ten MLAs should not be held responsible for their action. It is me who should be responsible. That is my stance. And, I have already accepted the responsibility for this and resigned.

There is a general feeling in the party that there is a widening rift between Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar?

I don't think this is true.

But this matter has received extensive coverage in the media...

The press has nothing better to do than to widen the rift between the leaders.

But even leaders like Praful Patel, a staunch Pawar loyalist, was summoned by Sonia Gandhi.

That is okay. When the Pradesh Congress Committee president was summoned, why not Praful Patel who is an MP? If there is some doubt in the mind of the party high command about the facts, they can call Praful Patel for an explanation. That cannot be looked upon as a rift between Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi.

But isn't it true that Pawar's supporters are being targeted for Ram Pradhan's defeat?

The whole election was handled by Sharad Pawar. So, whatever went wrong, somebody close to Sharad Pawar will have to be held responsible. It is possible that somebody may have reported Praful Patel to the inquiry committee. That is why the inquiry committee must have called him for an explanation. There is nothing wrong in it.

Do you think Ram Pradhan's defeat is a blow to Sonia Gandhi and shows that she does not carry clout among Congressmen?

( Laughs) No, this is not true. I have stated a number of times that the cross-voting was due to money power. And some of the cross-voting was because of enmity within the state Congress. It has nothing to do with the clout of Sonia Gandhi. Unfortunately, it happened with Ram Pradhan. It could have happened with another candidate also. It happened in the Vidhan Parishad election also. Because of elimination, Vasant Chavan got elected. Otherwise, those 25 votes which went waste, would have gone to Kanhaiyalal Gidwani. He would have won.

What about the new MPCC president? There are reports that an anti-Pawar man will be nominated by the party high command to cut Pawar down to size in Maharashtra?

Whoever is appointed, he should be a true Congressman. He should be able to work with all the factions of the Congress party. Only then can the Congress be built up. The question is not whether he is anti-Pawar or otherwise. What matters is that he must not be anti-Congress.

Don't you think it will be a setback to the Congress, if the new appointee is not pro-Pawar?

I don't think so. After the AICC president nominates somebody, whether that person is from Pawar's group or any other group, everybody has to support him. That is a true Congressman. And I think Pawar is a true Congressman.

But there is a feeling now in the party ranks that the new MPCC president should be elected rather than being nominated.

The AICC has resolved that Sonia Gandhi has the power to decide. Considering that resolution, she has the right to take a decision. If she nominates the new president that will be acceptable to all of us. And if she decides that elections should be held, that is also okay for us.

Did you recommend any name to the AICC president?

No, I do not have the authority to do so. It is up to her to decide.

You mentioned some time ago that businessmen are now entering politics through the backdoor by using money power. Can you elaborate?

Yes, by bringing businessmen into politics, we have reached this stage. That is the mistake which every party has committed, not just the Congress. These businessmen do not have anything common with the general public or the politicians.

Do you think money played a major role in getting Suresh Kalmadi elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra?

Definitely, it was because of money power.

Don't you think cross-voting has demoralised the Congress worker in the state and will affect the party's performance in the next year's elections?

Yes, to some extent it is true. In such incidents, the word goes around that apna MLA bhik gaya hoga. So, these things do affect the grass-root workers to some extent.

So what is the party planning to do about it?

That, the new president will decide. And, I will give him full co-operation to regain the lost confidence of the party workers.

EARLIER REPORTS:

Sonia upset as Pawar seeks to instal his man as MPCC chief
Sonia shuts door on Pawar's objections to showcause notices
MPCC chief Deshmukh goes for Pradhan's defeat, showcause issued to 12 Maharashtra MLAs
Sonia given names of suspect legislators
Congress loyalists gun for MPCC chief
AICC team rues role of money power in Maharashtra RS elections
Jubilant Kalmadi vows to clip Sharad Pawar's wings

The Rediff Interviews