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The Rediff Interview/ R V Pandit

'It's now clear that communal clashes in the past were politically motivated'

Part 1: 'Rolling back power tariffs in AP would mean embracing populism'

Part 2: 'In the nuclear era, the choice is between being either a fool or a wise man'

On the major challenges facing India:

They are illiteracy, population explosion, non-empowerment of women. Since the BJP came to power at the Centre, communal clashes have been very few. It is now clear that communal clashes in the past were politically motivated. People were warned that if the BJP comes to power, there will be more communal clashes. But that has not happened. There were some incidents in Gujarat. In Andhra, attacks on Christians have been traced to ISI activities.

On attacks on Christians: 'These should not be called communal clashes'

Attacks on Christans should not be called communal clashes. They are obscurantist tendencies. A communal clash is one where people of two communities fight and kill one another.

They have proved only one thing: that past disturbances were politically motivated. The BJP leadership under Vajpayee and Advani will never ever do anything to incite communal clashes. People such as Dr Manmohan Singh, S M Krishna (Karnataka CM), Digvijay Singh (MP CM) and some others in the Congress will also never indulge in such politics. They are a different breed of Congress people.

On the Japanese PM landing in Bangalore first: 'It is not significant, just a matter of logistics'

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori landing first in Bangalore instead of New Delhi is not a significant event. It is just a matter of logistics. What is significant is his visits to corporates like Infosys and Wipro. These companies deserve such international recognition. The Japanese need specialised skills that companies like Wipro, Infosys and Satyam offer.

On information technology: 'The worldview has changed in favour of India'

Our expertise in information technology will empower India. It will show how relevant we are. Previously, we were relevant only in terms of numbers. Today, we are relevant in terms of our brains. There was a time when you needed capital and research laboratories to show your skills. Today, you can display your skills on a small computer. The worldview has changed in favour of India. But again, our social progress should march in step with IT. If we don't do that, then we will be in trouble. If you have IT and an airport that resembles a mid 20th century railway terminus, then that is not good. And if Bombay grounds to a halt the day there is heavy rain, then we are not really progressing. That's regressing.

Part 4: 'The consequences of our naach-gaana era would be....Kaun Banega Crorepati'

The Rediff Interviews

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