In a quick chat with TNIE’s Cynthia Chandran, Congress Working Committee member and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram talks about electoral bonds and chances of Rahul Gandhi contesting from Amethi.
Is there any confusion on the candidature of members from the Nehru family in Amethi and Raebareli?
There is no confusion. I’m not a member of the central election committee. Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad. I’m absolutely confident that the people there will elect him...Whether he should contest or not (from Amethi) will be taken up by the CEC. It will decide whether it’s necessary or not for Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi to contest.
Political parties cannot survive an election with just state funds alone. What do you think is a way out?
There are ways other than state funding and private fund collection. The electoral bond was a wrong way out...It was the worst way out. The BJP as usual hit the electoral bond in the worst way. It was unconstitutional as I have been maintaining from day one. I called it legalised bribery. The Supreme Court has set it aside. If we (INDIA bloc) form a government we will decide on an alternative way, a more transparent way of funding the elections for political parties.
During the run-up to the Lok Sabha election, there have been allegations and counter allegations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi which always ends up in the latter being ridiculed.
That’s because honourable Prime Minister Modi thinks that nobody is equal to him and nobody can take his place. What he fails to understand is that there have been great leaders and great prime minister before him, and there will be after him. Every leader’s political life is limited. One should never think that one is immortal or that they will stay in the political milieu forever.
I am sorry that Modi is ridiculing Gandhi. History will judge whether Modi or Gandhi contributed to unity, brotherhood and harmony. I think Gandhi has done a great deal by walking thousands of kilometres to promote love, unity and brotherhood among different sections of society. I think history will be grateful to him for making this effort.