Manish Tewari, Information & Broadcasting Minister, speaks about Sardar Patel, BJP trying to snatch his legacy and naming Congress’ PM candidate with The New Indian Express Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla during Teekhi Baat on IBN7. Excerpts:
You and other ministers seem to be in tension these days, in anger. Leaders, from top to bottom are talking about Modi, Modi. Why do you fear them?
This is a problem of the media. As far as we are concerned, neither we are surprised, nor are we in tension. This is entertainment and we are involved in it.
Is there a Modi-leela happening these days?
The media is doing it, not people.
On Patel, Congress reacted as if Modi has looted his legacy. Sardar Patel is from Gujarat. What was the need to shout about it? You could have said that Sardar Patel belongs to the whole country.
Sardar Patel belonged to the whole country, not just to Gujarat, and his legacy was secularism, to counter communal forces, and on 9/11/1948, Sardar Patel wrote a letter to Guru Golwalkarji which said that the nation is suffering due to the poison of communalism spread by RSS. Mahatma Gandhiji was murdered.
Why do you think the narrative of politics is negative today?
It is a fight of two thought processes. One is secular, the other issue has gone ahead of communalism. It is a battle against fas cist thought processes. Today, the politics in this country is not Congress vs BJP vs other political parties. It is Congress vs RSS vs other political parties. RSS has made BJP very small.
Atalji’s background was that he was an RSS Pracharak. His acceptability is more even today.
Taking you back to Sardar Patel, when ban on RSS was removed, the reason was RSS promised Patel that they will be a cultural organisation and will not interfere in politics. RSS broke that promise. Hence, instead of putting forward a mask, why doesn’t RSS come forward as a political party?
But Lal Bahadur Shastri called them during war time. Which means your Congress PM had belief in them till 1965…
RSS, and the things that have happened in last four months...BJP has been made small and put on one side.
They are talking of debate. They have PM candidate. You don’t. And there is a demand that CM of Delhi should debate. But you are not ready.
Keep a debate on issues. Say there would be debate on healthcare, education, malnutrition, national security, foreign policy. Why not on performance?
On Performance too.
Do a structured debate not tu tu-main-main.
Invite two people. Get them to fight and increase TRPs.
Why shouldn’t debate be held?
It should be in all 542 constituencies.
For the full text of this interview, go to www.thenewindianexpress.