If you have a person who refuses to debate on the grounds that it is the preserve of a lawyer, that I will let my work in my constituency speak for itself, then you are automatically disqualifying yourself from going to Parliament, because Parliament is about debating.

It is about putting forward your point of view; it is about introducing private members' bills; it is bringing about amendments to bills brought in by the government. If you don't debate on that, if you are incapable of debate, how can you be a Parliamentarian?

She does not have a good Parliamentary record in terms of all these things, attendance apart. You know, she was a mother twice and that was beyond her control and maybe that will improve. But she does not have the necessary skills, on her own admission. I'm not saying this -- this is her own admission when she refused to debate with me on Star News.

You consider yourself pragmatic, liberal and secular.

Absolutely -- but I'd be very careful on secular. Secularism does not mean you bow down to terrorists because they belong to one community. I take a strong stand on terrorism, I abhor it. Normally, I am against the death penalty. But for terrorists, I am an advocate of the death penalty.

Does your party share your qualities?

India is a diverse country. It's not homogenous, where everybody can be of a particular stereotype. I'm one stereotype, and I am acceptable to the educated elements of society.

But India is a whole spectrum, right? Ram Rajya and the Ram Mandir may not be top on my priority list, but there's a whole constituency of people whose sentiments can't be ignored, who want to see a temple at Ayodhya. So there are a range of opinions within the party.

I would try to drive the party, to the best of my ability, towards supporting and prioritising a particular agenda. Others may want a different agenda, and that's always a struggle within the party. But everybody is well meaning. So long as you are not corrupt, so long as you intend to benefit the people, you can’t fault anybody. It's not as if they are looting the State and making false promises.

Image: A Congress rally for Priya Dutt. Photograph: Satish Bodas.

Also see: Machines create loss of jobs: Abu Azmi | India Votes 2009

Back

|

Next