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The Rediff Interview/S S Ahluwalia

'The Congress is not someone's personal property'

S S Ahluwalia has, perhaps in desperation rather than boldness, gone where no man in the Congress had before: he has challenged the decisions taken by Sonia Gandhi in the run-up to the elections to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan. He is particularly grieved that certain Congress old hands, who stand accused of inciting people to kill Sikhs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984, should be asked to take charge of the elections in Delhi. There are also accusations that S S Ahluwalia, who was considered a Rajiv Gandhi loyalist, is peeved at being sidelined under the Sonia regime. Whatever the reasons, Ahluwalia, who hails from the Patna Sahib Gurdwara, has shattered the myth of Sonia Gandhi's infallibility within the party. In an interview with Amberish K Diwanji, he presents his case. An excerpt:

The Congress high command has sent you a showcause notice. What do you have to say that?

The Congress's showcause notice has questioned me for going to the media, saying it contravenes party discipline. I have replied that instead of talking about technicalities, let us talk about the issues at stake. And the key issue is that certain persons such as H K L Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar, Dharam Shastri and Jagdish Tytler, who stand accused of inciting mobs to attack the Sikhs in the 1984 riots, have been given a role in the Delhi elections.

I have replied to the high command that they should first answer why this has happened, and I will separately reply to the showcause notice.

Still, haven't you broken the party code of conduct by going public?

The Congress party constitution, Clause 17, states that no Congress member will take a line against the party policy. Now, is it a party policy to rehabilitate those persons who stand accused and even charged in court of inciting communal violence, of leading mobs? As far as I am concerned, that is not party policy, and therefore I have not broken any party code of conduct. I have gone public on something that is actually against the Congress party's code of conduct.

Why raise the issue on election eve? What have you done about the Sikh riot victims all these years?

( Angrily) Who says I have done nothing? Bring him before me! On the contrary, I have been consistently following up the case of the Sikh victims. When the Delhi high court ordered a compensation of Rs 350,000 to the kith and kin of those killed, I took the matter to the Supreme Court and ensured that the same amount was paid to the victims' relatives even in other states. The entire Tilak Nagar colony houses for the riot victims was set up by me. I followed up the case in the high court and the Supreme Court, where it is still pending.

Why should the case still be pending after 14 years? For 10 of these 14 years, the Congress ruled. And you too were part of the government (Ahluwalia was a minister of state in the P V Narasimha Rao government). Why did you not take action earlier?

It is a tragedy that cases take so long. I did whatever I could and hopefully the matter will be completed in a short time now. I have been speaking on behalf of the victims for a long time, I had written to Rajiv Gandhi, to Narasimha Rao. Rajiv even replied that he had set up the Dhillon Committee to look into the issue.

But why did you speak on the eve of elections?

Main majboor ho gaya (I had no choice). Who else will raise the issue if I don't? I did not want to, but giving prominence to Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar, Shastri and Tytler was the last straw. It is also clearly against Congress policies.

All of these men had been denied tickets to contest in the previous elections by the previous Congress presidents. Bhagat was not given a ticket in 1996 and 1998, Sajjan Kumar has not been given a ticket ever since 1984, the same for Shastri, while Tytler was not given a ticket for 1998 polls. Why deny them tickets if there is no case against them? This obviously means that there are some charges against them.

Why did the Congress not apologise to the Sikhs as it has to the Muslims for the Babri Masjid demolition?

When Sonia Gandhi apologised to the Muslims in the Calcutta session in 1997, I had insisted that the same be done for the Sikh victims also. But Congress politics that stopped it. The Congress leadership then (Sitaram Kesri and Sonia Gandhi) were willing to apologise for the Babri Masjid demolition, because that would embarrass Narasimha Rao. But they would not apologise for the Sikh riots because that would reflect badly on Rajiv Gandhi. All that Sonia Gandhi has done is to express regrets, and that too at an electoral meeting, not at a party convention.

Has not your speaking out hurt the Congress's chances in the coming elections?

By giving prominence to these people in the election, the Congress has alienated the Sikhs all over again. The Sikhs were inching closer to the Congress after the misrule of the BJP in Delhi and would have voted for the party. But now they will keep away because they have not forgotten or forgiven these people. This will hurt Congress chances. I am trying to rectify the situation but if the Congress insists on tripping itself, what can I do?

Certain Congress leaders claim that you are planning to quit the party because you feel sidelined and want to join the BJP or the Samata Party?

( Ahluwalia was furious at this question, and dramatically called up the Congress leader who had allegedly made the statement right away). This is all lies. Who are these people to question my loyalty? I have been with the Congress for 31 years, even before some of these leaders entered politics. I am the only non-Akali Sikh who has the charge of one of the five top gurdwaras. I have no plans to join any other party.

Again, some leaders say you are communal and upset because you have not been given a ticket for the election ( Ahluwalia was denied another term in the Rajya Sabha)?

Unfortunately, if someone speaks up for his own community, he is called communal. It is not a question of a ticket but of ethics. In fact, Ahmed Patel has asked me to campaign and even said the party campaign should not be led by the Bhagat. I only want the Congress to be strong but it only wants to trip itself. I have a right to speak up because the Congress is not someone's personal property.

Strange that you should say that, since you have all along supported dynastic rule in the Congress?

I agree that I am a loyal supporter of the dynasty, but that does not make it someone's private property. It is very painful for me to oppose Sonia Gandhi given my regard for the family. But even if my father is doing something wrong, it is my duty to oppose him, and I will. I am the people's watchdog. Otherwise, what is the purpose of being in politics?

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