UPA govt won’t have a chalta hai attitude: Shashi Tharoor

He may have lost the election to UN Secretary General’s post but Shashi Tharoor came out with flying colours when he contested on a Congress ticket from Thiruvananthapuram in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections. In an exclusive chat with Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi on Kahiye Janab, Tharoor talks about the milestones crossed and the way forward.Swati Chaturvedi: Welcome to the show Mr Tharoor. If I may ask you to describe yourself in just three words, then what would be your reply? Shashi Tharoor: I am a writer… now a politician and have worked for the United Nations in the past leaving behind my country and my home. Swati: So is it like a homecoming for you? Tharoor: My passport was Indian but postings were overseas, while working with the UN, and my parents used to live here. So I used to come to India once in a year. Swati: It is said that you came to 10, Janpath and got a ticket straightaway. You might have lost the UN election, but won in the General Elections here. What do you have to say on this? Tharoor: You need national and state level support before contesting elections. The party leadership gives ticket to a candidate only after discussions. Among the seven candidates in fray for the top UN post I had managed to garner some support. Swati: So has this win erased the pain of your defeat at the UN? Tharoor: In the UN election there are only 15 votes. You have to ask for votes from Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of different nations. Here you have 15 lakh voters and you have to campaign in the scorching heat to get their votes. Swati: So how was the whole experience like? Tharoor: I have written 11 books so far, including books on Indian politics. Prior to the polls, I had only a macro view of the Indian politics. However, after contesting the Lok Sabha elections I have got the micro view too. I have understood the needs and expectations of a voter. I have come to know of the ground reality. Swati: In the Lok Sabha elections there were many candidates who made an entry into the politics for the first time. What was your tipping point? Tharoor: Whenever I used to give speeches I used to speak about India and people asked me what was I going to do about it? After leaving the UN I wanted to do something for Kerala (my hometown). But then I realised that just by writing books and giving speeches you cannot make a difference. So when the opportunity of contesting the elections came my way, I grabbed it with both hands. Swati: Who pursued you – Sonia or Rahul? Tharoor: It is not like that. I knew both of them, but we had never discussed politics. Even Dr Manmohan Singh had worked in the UN about 28 years ago. Swati: People say that you, Dr Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia belong to an Old Boys’ Club and that you have been parachuted to Delhi from Kerala? Tharoor: I have come here after winning with a margin of over one lakh votes. So I can speak as a representative of the people of Thiruvananthapuram. I won’t call it being parachuted. Swati: Pakistan is in turmoil and the Taliban are just five hours away from the Indian border (though they have been pushed back to an extent now). What should India do about its western neighbour now? Tharoor: The Indian diplomacy has worked with Pakistan. The diplomatic pressure exerted by the US has specifically worked due to Americans’ contacts in the Pakistani military. They have a civilian government in power, so we can use diplomacy. Military action against Pakistan would eventually help the disturbing elements (non-state actors) in the region. Swati: The BJP used terror as their main poll plank but the public voted Congress back to power. What do you have to say about the tag of being ‘soft on terror’ imposed on the Congress by the BJP? Tharoor: The party under whose regime an incident like the Kandahar hijacking happened has no right to say anything on terror. It was the second-most humiliating incident for the country after the 1962 China war. I wouldn’t like to politicise the issue further. Another point to be noted is that like every other country we are also strengthening our defence capabilities after 26/11. Swati: During the UPA’s first five-year term the government had a Home Minister, who was changing clothes when the nation was burning. Don’t you think people have every right to point fingers at the Congress on the issue of terror? Tharoor: It’s not correct. The Home Minister has other responsibilities too. He later resigned and the new Home Minister has done a very good job. So, making personal attacks on someone won’t help. Swati: There has been a generational change in the Congress party this time around, with people calling for Rahul’s appointment as the Prime Minister. Are you for this change? Tharoor: Seventy percent of India’s population is below 35 years of age. So this transition is inevitable and it would gradually happen. I support the blend of youth and experience in the Cabinet. Swati: The day results were out there was a chorus in the party to make Rahul the PM. Were you part of that chorus? Tharoor: There is no vacancy for the PM’s post. The way Rahul has been part of this election is something which a leader is required to do. He has shown his organisational and leadership skills. Even Barack Obama was not holding any authoritative position before the US Presidential Elections. But when elections came Obama took the centrestage. So, there is no harm in proposing his name for the PM’s post. Swati: Your language (Malayalam) and speeches during election campaigning came in for a lot of criticism. Your take on this. Tharoor: I just told people that only English and Hindi works in Delhi. I will take their problems to Delhi. As for speeches I think people have had enough of speeches in the last 60 years. Swati: People have had enough of ‘chalta hai’ governments. Do you fear a public backlash if your government fails to deliver? Tharoor: That won’t happen. This government is not going to be ‘chalta hai’ government. While meeting the winning candidates after elections the Prime Minister had asked us to respect the mandate of the people and take courage from the fact that the youth had come out in huge numbers to cast their vote. Swati: So do you miss anything here? Tharoor: Yes, my wife, who is in the US and working with the United Nations. Swati: Before saying good bye would you like to say a few lines in Malayalam? Tharoor: If you raise your head at the mere mention of your country’s name then Kerala’s name must boil your blood. Adaptation by: Abhishek