'Terrorism can never be eliminated from Punjab'

R L Bhatia,the former Union minister of state for external affairs, is an influential voice in the Congress party on issues involving the Punjab. Thrice elected to the Lok Sabha from Amritsar -- home of the holiest Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple -- Bhatia, a Hindu, discussed the issues at stake in next month's Punjab assembly election, in this conversation with Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

What are the issues the Congress plans to highlight in its campaign for the Punjab assembly election?

The most important issue in Punjab is that people want safety and normalcy.

Secondly, Punjab is an agricultural state and most of the farmers are small farmers. We would like to provide relief by giving electricity free to all farmers. Punjab is the grainery of India and gives 70 per cent of food to the country. We strongly feel this state must get some concessions. These are the two issues which we are concentrating upon in our campaign.

Also, we want octroi to be abolished because it has become a troublesome problem for the people of Punjab. We have decided we will remove octroi and also provide some sales tax relief.

The late chief minister, Beant Singh, was responsible for restoring normalcy in the state. In his absence, how does the Congress propose to tackle terrorism in the state?

I think terrorism can never be eliminated. However, it can be controlled to a larger extent. And this is what we were able to prove in Punjab. It is never possible to eliminate terrorism from any country. There are always some elements in any society who are up to mischief. In Punjab, there are very few terrorists left and the people are not with them.

Mr Beant Singh realised that if terrorism was to be tackled in Punjab it should be tackled in the rural areas and that is where he succeeded. If we are elected back to power we will continue the same process.

Why did the Congress not form an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party? You did so in UP last year, so why is the Congress going it alone in Punjab? Do you think the Congress can fare better now that it has a new leader in Sitaram Kesri?

In Punjab the BSP is demanding 45 out of the state's 117 seats. They are going out of their way to demand seats. Seat adjustment talks are also going on with the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist. If we have some understanding with them then we will be able to contest only 50 per cent of the seats.

We do not want to give the BSP more than 25 seats.

After Kesri has taken over the Congress, your party appears to be asserting itself. You seem unwilling to compromise and feel you can go to the polls without the BSP.

No, this is not true. There is a general feeling in our party that Kanshi Ram's attitude in Uttar Pradesh is very flexible. He can form the government with the support of the BJP which is against the principles of the Congress. Moreover, if we go along with Kanshi Ram then all our cadres, our backward classes will be disappointed. So we are not having any truck with Kanshi Ram.

The Akalis did not contest the last assembly election. They are doing so this time. What difference will it make to the Congress, especially as they have aligned with the BJP?

It will make no difference for us. People in Punjab know that during the heyday of terrorism the Akalis never came to their help. Moreover, they never condemned terrorist activity. People fear that if the Akalis come to power then terrorism will reactivate itself in the state.

How many seats will the Congress win?

It is difficult to say. One cannot prophesy. People are the best judges. We are trying to reach out to people and I hope people understand the problem and vote for the Congress. I hope people will vote for those parties which are secular and democratic.

What do you have to say about dissidence in your party in Punjab? You were assaulted recently by Amritsar Mayor O P Soni over the distribution of assembly tickets. Earlier, your chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar was removed in the face of rebellion.

My incident was a minor one. The press highlighted the issue. It is not a serious matter. I issued a statement that he was a young man who made a mistake, so I forgive him. And as far as Mr Brar is concerned he was too old and a zamindar. He could not activate party workers. So, the leadership felt it necessary to appoint Ms Bhattal as chief minister and she has done a remarkable job in just a few months.

The Akalis have accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhattal of withdrawing funds from long term projects and investing in short term projects for electoral gain.

Opposition parties criticise the ruling party but there must be some basis in the criticism. The problem with the Akalis is that they have no issue to criticise the Congress with so they come out with this issue. The people know there is no grain of truth in this allegation. These Akalis always quarrel among themselves. They do not think of the benefit of the state.