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The Rediff Interview/Digvijay Singh

'Our election promises will be our top priority'

After the Lok Sabha debacle in February, what strategy did you employ to undo the harm done in the parliamentary election?

Well, the very fact that opinion polls place us between one per cent of each other -- that itself shows that we have gained quite a lot .

How have you achieved this?

I have always said that the '96 and '98 elections were not against the state government, it was a positive vote for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was not a vote for the BJP, that people don't sort of differentiate.

But they say this time the Congress would have made some gains because of price rise. If you come to power, what will you do for the people of MP to prevent price rise?

See, price rise is a phenomenon that is more or less controlled by the policies of the Government of India, because it depends on the economic policies of the Government of India. Price rise is not something that the state government can control on its own. It has to be supported by the central government.

Is there any way you could make it easier for your people in your state?

Yes, the problem is that basic essential commodities should be made available, that the state government shall try and mostly will do it.

Correct us if we are wrong, we read in an interview that if the Congress doesn't do well in the state, you wouldn't hold any party position for the next ten years?

Yes, I stand by that, and after all, the buck has to stop somewhere. I hold responsibility. If I have been CM for five years, I should give the results. If I don't, okay, I take the responsibility.

A personal question. We understand you are an engineer, why did you get into politics?

Well, I, got involved because of circumstances. When I was in my final year, I lost my father. I was the eldest in the family, so I had to go back to my home after doing my degree. There in the local body election, they chose me as the municipal president, I then got into it.

Have you regretted the decision since?

Not really ( laughs heartily).

Does a degree in engineering come useful in politics?

It does. In engineering you have an analytical mind. You have the habit of analysing problems. All in all what is politics, but analysing problems and finding solutions.

How do you feel has been the morale of the party during this election?

The Congress party's? Oh, very high. See the results in Rajasthan, Delhi -- we are winning.

We're talking about Madhya Pradesh?

In Madhya Pradesh, of course quite high. We have done fairly well. People had written us off. Think of the public opinion three months back. People said there was no chance for the Congress party. Now we are in the run. We may even form the government.

Two negative questions -- one is the corruption within your ministers. How will you tackle that? It is said that you have not been able to control corruption among your ministers.

Corruption is a worldwide phenomenon. Every government is being charged with corruption. Whether it is the BJP government in Rajasthan, the BJP government in Delhi, or the Congress government in Mizoram. Or for that matter, the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra. It is easy to level charges. Corruption is an issue which has to be tackled by all political parties rather than levelling charges against each other. And my definition of this is very clear. One has to see if there has been a rise in the assets of the person -- disproportionate to the income. That should be the criteria.

Now the chief minister -- if I had to collect funds for the party which are being spent in elections for the party without compromising the rules and regulations and within the law -- would you call it corruption or not? If I used that money to build a palace or a house, or start a business, something like that, then I accumulate wealth disproportionate to my income. Certainly, I am corrupt. But if my property, assets remain constant -- what they were earlier, then I think I am honest.

But the people are not talking about your honesty, we are not talking about you, but your ministers...

(Laughs.) We are not! After all, there are 50, 60 people. There are some people who did not have a good image and we denied Congress tickets to them. Some ministers, certain MLAs also. See it is a phenomenon that has to be assessed as such. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence must do something about it. More deep-rooted research on politicians' assets.

Why did you take action against these ministers so late? Why did you expel them so late?

Not a question of expelling from the party. After all, I am one of the chief ministers who forced the ministers to file their property assets every year and make them public. No other CM does it -- so that people know what he (the minister) has declared to the public. This is one way of doing it. If any minister has accumulated wealth during his tenure for which he cannot account for, then he should do the explaining.

Tell me, which other state has annual declaration of the assets of ministers, and they are laid on the table of the House? Is there any other state government which does it? Or any CM who has done it?

Not that we have heard of.

Here we are declaring our assets every year, every financial year.

The other negative question -- that you are being given credit for the Panchayati Raj, welfare programmes, village contact programmes, but your detractors say that in the area of electricity, irrigation, roads, nothing has happened at all...

No, it's not correct. We have generated more power from our existing power stations, our plant-load sector has gone up from 48 per cent to 68 per cent. We are producing 20 per cent more power during my tenure. Then we have built more roads than the BJP government in its 33-month tenure, and we have gone far ahead in our privatisation of power generation also. So, we have taken some very basic decisions which shall make their impact in the course of time.

When you talk about power and roads, can you tell us particular areas where this work has been done -- roads and power generation?

As far as power generation is concerned, our power stations are generating more power. Our transmission-distribution losses have come down. Then we have made provisions for 2,600 megawatts of power, that itself is a very large amount. So we have done fairly well on that point also.

Roads?

See, roads we have not been able to do well. At the same time, we brought in privatisation in the construction of bridges and the maintenance of roads. Now the Dewas-Bhopal road has been given to a private party. The quality of maintenance is much better than in other areas. So this is one area which has to be more taken care of.

And if you come to power again, what will you do to reduce the price rise?

That the Government of India will have to do...

If you come to power again, what are the three most important things you would want to start immediately?

To put in simple words, the election promises we have made in our manifesto will be our top priority, more empowerment to the people, more democracy, more transparency, right to education, more democracy at the grassroot-village level, the family would be the unit of development. Each family would be the unit of development.

How hectic has the last month been?

As hectic as my last five years ( laughs).

As hectic as your previous campaign?

Yes, of course.

More hectic?

No.

Have you travelled through the entire state?

Yes.

Is the assumption correct that the Congress has worked more in the rural areas than cities?

Yes.

Why has the Congress got only Gwalior last time among cities?

No. This time we'll get more seats in all the areas.

What would you say is the reason for the Congress not having an influence in the cities?

There is no reason as such, the BJP has always had stronger roots in the urban areas, the Congress has always been more of a rural party.

The Rediff Interviews

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