Congress will never go with Jaya: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar talks to Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi about polls, alliances and Pakistan on `Kahiye Janab’.

At a time when the political situation of the country is volatile and General Elections are round the corner, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar talks to Zeenews.com’s Swati Chaturvedi about polls, alliances and Pakistan on the ‘Kahiye Janab’ programme.Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Swati Chaturvedi: Being a former diplomat and Pakistan affairs specialist, why have you been away from diplomacy for such a long time? Mani Shankar Aiyar: I am a man from the old school of thought. People of new age diplomacy consider me a dinosaur of Jurassic Park. Now, the world has changed and diplomacy has also changed along with it. I couldn’t get along with the changing times and that is the reason why I stay away from diplomacy. Swati: You were very active diplomatically during the regime of Rajiv Gandhi. You were also quite influential on various foreign affair issues. Why have you become inactive with regard to diplomacy? Aiyar: I used to write the text of Rajiv Gandhi’s speeches but all those were his ideas. I never tried to put my words into his mouth. I had a say only in areas like Panchayati Raj and culture. This is the reason why I was made the first Panchayati Raj Minister of India after Independence. Swati: After the completion of five years of the UPA government, do you think “Aam Aadmi” has become a meagre slogan? Aiyar: There was not a single government in the country including Rajiv Gandhi’s which was so much focused on the issues of common man. Our government has introduced a number of programmes for the benefit of the masses. The only area where we lack is that Panchayati Raj units have not been utilised to their full strength to implement these programmes. In the past five years, people have started to understand how to minimize bureaucratic expenses to avail the maximum benefit of the funds allocated for development. Swati: It has been assessed that corruption eats into nearly 20,000 crore of the total money allocated for the development. What are the ways to curb this? Aiyar: If corruption is limited to Rs 20,000 crore then it should be a reason to smile because I think it is much more than that. But India has a huge annual income of Rs 30 lakh crore. We need to strengthen our Panchayati Raj system so that maximum benefit reaches the lowest level that is the common man. Swati: What are the real issues for Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections? Aiyar: As always, we will be concentrating on eradicating poverty by working for the benefit of the common man. We will go to the people and show them how much work has been done and how many programmes have been started by the government for the development. Swati: Even after ruling for five years, Congress failed to get Women’s Reservation Bill passed. What do you have to say on this? Aiyar: Some of our allies and some parties in the opposition are not in favour of this Bill. We are trying to revive it by sending it to a Parliamentary Standing Committee and we are also getting a lot of new and practical suggestions. I am confident of reaching a consensus very soon. I promise you that if we are voted back to power, then this will be the last election without this Bill being passed. Swati: Sitaram Yechury and the Left who were your biggest ally….. Aiyar: (Intervening) Left was not the key ally as they were supporting us from outside and never joined the government. They thought Congress will be the horse and they will be the rider but we showed them that this ‘tonga’ can run on its own. Swati: Left claims that they were responsible for stopping the Congress from opening up the economy? Aiyar: Both our party and our government work in a democratic manner. All the issues are discussed openly and everyone has a say. Sitaram Yechury also had his influence. But it was the decision of the UPA and no single party can claim credit for any decisions. Swati: What is your take on Jayalalithaa’s offer to part ways with DMK and join hands with AIADMK as an ally? Aiyar: We want at least 272 seats in this election. If that doesn’t happen then we are not fighting this election as a national alliance but only having seat sharing adjustments in various states. I will be able to comment on the government formation only after the election results are declared. God willing we will never go with Jayalalithaa and won’t have any alliance with the AIADMK. Swati: There are a lot of people in the race of PM? Aiyar: It is a joke that even Mayawati and Jayalalithaa want to become PM. It is matter to laugh about. A lot of people in Indian politics want to become PM, but if you look at the trend then Manmohan Singh is well placed to become the PM again. Swati: India has a disturbed neighbourhood, especially Pakistan which is now considered a failed state? Aiyar: Pakistan is not a failed state. I agree that the pact (with Taliban) in Swat Valley is a matter of concern for us but it is a very far fetched thought that soon they will take over Islamabad and Karachi. People of Pakistan want peace and harmony and they will never let such forces take over them. Adaptation: Sharique N Siddiquie