I am lonely in my own party: Amar Singh

The man who, probably, holds key to a Congress-led government at the Centre, speaks exclusively to Himanshu Shekhar of Zeenews.com.

He is the man who, probably, holds key to a Congress led- or in fact any other party led- government at Centre. Love him or hate him, but Amar Singh has become the Mr. Indispensable of Indian politics. In a candid interview with Himanshu Shekhar of Zeenews.com, Singh spills the beans on hectic political activity, now underway to give India its next Government.

An Industrialist, a politician and a celebrity- you have donned all gloves, but which role gives you maximum satisfaction? I was an industrialist who joined politics. But politics is a one way destination. Once a politician always a politician is a saying and that hold true for me. One can’t shrug of the social responsibility that it is associated with it. But, I don’t consider myself a celebrity at all. It’s my friendship which sometimes drags me to page three but, honestly speaking, it is wrong to call me a celebrity. I am a simple Samajwadi Party worker. How would you describe your present relationship with Congress? I am simply a lonely man in my own party because of this seat sharing issue with the Congress party. Frankly speaking, I am paying a heavy price for it as my own party men think that SP has sacrificed a lot for saving the Congress led government at Centre, which is true to a great extent. So are you fighting a lost battle? Where are the talks heading? Well, I have high regards for Sonia ji and the Prime Minister. It’s true that talks have not been successful, but that is largely due to certain leaders in the Congress party. We are heading towards a point of no return and if that happens SP will not be responsible for it. Which forces are playing spoilsport? Reports are that the UP Governor had a meeting with BSP supremo along with some senior Congress leaders… It seems that UP Governor Rajeshwar is working as a link between the BSP and the Congress. SP has no objection with any one meeting with any one, but the role of the Governor can definitely be questioned. Why did you save the Congress led government at all? That was a decision taken in context of the Indo-US nuclear deal. It was done in national interest and our party did not ask any favours for it. There was no deal signed. Look what Shibu Soren and Ajit Singh asked. Samajwadi Party has no regrets for what it did and that had nothing to do with any pre-poll alliance. How did you manage to rope in Kalyan Singh for your party? Will his entry not hurt SP’s traditional vote base? (Silence…) It was his individual decision and he was welcomed in the party because he is a man of stature. He has already clarified his stance on Babri Masjid issue and our party is fully satisfied with it. He gives us the option of going full throttle in western Uttar Pradesh. Are your own party men happy with Kalyan Singh joining the camp? There is some discontent and that is being addressed. One can’t expect full agreement in a democratic party and that is understood. We will definitely make sure that voters understand the secular cause which Samajwadi Party champions. You were denied an audience by Prakash Karat in the direction of a Third Front… I wanted to meet Karat for a different purpose. That was in context of CBI’s fabricated charge sheet against Mulayam Singh ji. It had nothing to do with the Third Front and as of now, I don’t foresee it as a possibility. Will SP project Mulayam Singh as PM incase there is a possibility of Third Front? Mulayam Singh ji has already denied that post once, and I want to emphasise here that we are not a power hungry party. We have supported the Congress-led government from outside and our politics is based on ideology. How many seats does SP target in coming Lok Sabha elections? I mean their must be a target in mind. We are realistic and my assessment is that we will definitely win more than 35 seats. How many seats are you ready to share with Congress if the alliance succeeds? We have already released names from 53 constituencies. We are ready to give up 15 seats for the Congress. Would you prefer being called a troubleshooter for SP or leader of the masses? Call me anything, but I am a small party worker. I don’t mix political differences with personal relationships and that is the reason why I respect even my opponents. The scope of dialogue between political parties is shrinking. Now days, there is no dialogue between leaders among rival camps when it comes to smooth proceedings in Lok Sabha or State Assemblies… That is a real worry. What kind of a rapport do you have with opposition leaders… like in BJP or BSP? I had a great relationship with late Pramod Mahajan. It was a personal loss for me. He was a great friend…a man who could even walk into my bedroom, despite having differences on many political issues. I also respect Atal ji a lot. I have high regards for Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi as well. Regard for Sonia Gandhi? It seems like a change of heart …. All that is past and forgotten, it is warm and cordial now. What would you say on CBI’s chargesheet against Mulayam Singh? I challenge the CBI on this case. If anybody can prove that ‘Deepa Talkies’ is owned by Mulayam ji, I will quit politics. If they continue to fabricate such cases, then CBI will have to down its shutters. Amar Singh has been in numerous parliamentary standing committees but it seems you have always shied away from any ministerial posts. Is that a conscious effort? Definitely that is not a deliberate plan. Whenever my party decides such a role for me I will accept it. Do you see yourself as a future Prime Minister? There is no such question now. Controversy and Amar Singh seem to be hand-in-hand… Politics is a responsibility. We are the most hated lot. Let’s take for e.g., if media is made to wait outside a Bollywood star’s house there is no grudge. But if politicians do the same, there will be a huge ruckus. So that is the price which one pays for being in news. They say, after 10 Janpath and 7 Race Course Road, country’s most powerful destination is 27 Lodhi Estate. How would you react? I don’t know that. (Laughs) If it is so, then I have no problem. Who do you regard as your role model in life? Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It seems that Amar Singh has a strong fascination for Bollywood stars. How did you manage to convince Sanjay Dutt to fight for SP? Sanjay is like a younger brother to me. When I asked him to contest election he could not refuse. Politics is in his blood and he has a great persona. People easily relate to his Munnabhai character. He was chosen a UN ambassador, so I think he has a brilliant CV which fits his new job. Why did you decide to field him from Lucknow? Sanjay has strong emotional attachment with Lucknow. His father Sunil Dutt Saheb first started his career from Lucknow. He lived in Aminabad and that’s what motivated him to contest from Lucknow. How was the reaction in his first road show? You must have seen it for yourself- huge support. People walked and ran for kilometers to get a mere glimpse of their Munnabhai. We had certain security issues as well for which I had to hire over 1000 private security personnel. Many were hired and flown in from Mumbai as well. Do you really believe that good actors can make good politicians? Yes. Who is your favourite Bollywood actress of modern times? Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.