ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

The Rediff Interview/Jaya Jaitley

The call given by Samata Party president and Union Defence Minister George Fernandes to "all former Socialists" to reunite appears to have sent out some wrong signals. The Bharatiya Janata Party, senior ally of the Samata Party, thinks the move is aimed at creating a bigger pressure group within the ruling coalition. On the other hand, smaller parties like the Indian National Lok Dal fear that they will lose their symbols and identities if they merge with the new organisation.

In an interview with Tara Shankar Sahay, Samata Party general secretary Jaya Jaitley sought to remove the erroneous notions about the new outfit, and argued that it would be to the eventual benefit of the ruling alliance. An excerpt:

What is the philosophy behind your move to form a new outfit comprising Socialists?

To start with, I would like to clarify two mistaken notions. One, it was not George [Fernandes] who proposed the 'Socialist Front'. Secondly, it is not a front. It is a forging of small, like-minded parties into one cohesive unit, particularly those people who were part of a larger party -- for instance, Ramakrishna Hegde, Om Prakash Chautala, the Biju Janata Dal. All these people were originally together in one party. So we in the Samata Party felt that instead of having such an unwieldy coalition, the smaller, like-minded parties could merge into one single unit so that it would be much easier to strengthen the ruling alliance.

But then how do you explain the BJP leadership's apprehension that the move to create a front of Socialists is actually a ploy to set up a pressure group within the ruling coalition?

I don't think that is correct. In fact, the abundance of smaller parties in a coalition increases the chances of the application of pressure. The BJP is quite aware of this. On the contrary, the pressure is likely to be less from a larger group [in the coalition]. So I think such apprehension is misplaced.

Considering that Fernandes is reportedly in touch with Mulayam Singh Yadav, is there any likelihood of the Samajwadi Party being accommodated in the new front?

No, not at all. Because though the Samajwadi Party desisted from extending support to the alternative Congress minority government, the fact is that our identities are completely different. There is no question of our coming together.

What are these differences between the Samata Party and the Samajwadi Party?

Our party's votes are broad-based and we have a wider appeal whereas the Samajwadi Party's politics is caste-based. His [Mulayam Singh's] vote base chiefly comprises Muslims and Yadavs.

Do you think the dissidents in the Samata Party are supporting the move for the creation of the new front?

I don't believe in this dissident business at all. In fact, you must have seen the way in which our party member Prabhunath Singh, perceived as a dissident by the Opposition parties, mainly the Congress, made a spirited defence of the Vajpayee government in the Lok Sabha during the confidence motion. In fact, he attacked the Congress in such a manner that the Opposition parties rose to their feet and a furore ensued. I don't want to elaborate, but it was there for everybody to see. The other alleged dissident, Abdul Ghafoor, was with me at my press conference yesterday and supported everything I said. To cut the matter short, there is no dissidence in the Samata Party. We are united.

What do you have to say about the reported meeting between Samajwadi Party politician Amar Singh and George Fernandes?

No, there was no such meeting.

But it is being said that Fernandes and Mulayam Singh are keen on an SP-BJP understanding in Uttar Pradesh to counter a possible Congress-Bahujan Samaj Party understanding in the State.

I don't think the BJP has anything to worry on this count. It is primarily the Congress and the Samajwadi Party who are fighting in Uttar Pradesh for the Muslim votes. And I think Mulayam Singh Yadav showed that he had national interest at heart when he refused to support the Congress, which was seeking to grab power at any cost.

What has been the response of persons like former prime minister Chandra Shekhar and Maneka Gandhi to the proposed front?

They have all been very positive. Things are being worked out and I am hopeful that we will have a satisfactory answer. Mr Ram Vilas Paswan of the Janata Dal is having talks with us and we think the others concerned will come forward.

Some people say that with this plan the Samata Party is just trying to regain its national-party status which it lost following its poor showing in the 1998 election.

Well, it is not necessary that the new party should be called Samata Party. Secondly, if four or five regional parties combine to form a national party with regional aspirations, then I think it is a very positive development. Thirdly, it can become a national party.

But are you going to reassure those who want to join the new front that it will not be named Samata Party?

We are going to have a democratic approach to the matter. Incidentally, I must add that the ruling alliance will henceforth be known as the National Democratic Alliance or something to that effect. I think the decision will be made in mid-May.

The Rediff Interviews

Tell us what you think of this interview