"I'm Learning Global Politics"

By press reports it appears you were sidelined at Panchmarhi?

That’s not true. The decision to restrict myself to discussions on foreign affairs was deliberate. I was trying to learn more about global politics and CTBT.

Is there any reason why you felt the need to concentrate on global politics rather than party affairs?

As leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, I have to meet a lot of foreign dignitaries but so far I have had little to say to them. In the instability-like situation prevailing in the country, all foreign bigwigs make a beeline for my office first, to get to know the views of the major Opposition party. So I decided to take the opportunity to bring myself up to date on India’s foreign policy needs and issues like global disarmament as I did not know enough about these subjects.

You did not participate in political discussions at all?

I am among the better-known leaders of the Congress. I am also a member of the CWC and I have this, the Lok Sabha and other fora to air my political views which are pretty well known by now. So when there are at least 200 other, less known Congress leaders at the session, what is the use of imposing myself upon them? The idea of a brainstorming is to listen to others, isn’t it? Get to know the views that might differ from yours and filter the different shades of opinion. I know a lot about political and organisational matters; I knew very little about foreign affairs. But I did attend the agricultural affairs discussion on the invitation of Balram Jakhar because they wanted to tap my considerable knowledge in this field.

And your relationship with Sonia Gandhi? Is it troubled?

No, not at all. She is the Congress Parliamentary Party leader and the Congress president. I am the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. If the president has to invite the Congress to form the next government, he will call the CPP leader, not the leader of the Opposition. That is the correct and legal position.

So will Sonia form the next government?

We are doing nothing to topple the BJP but if it collapses under its own contradictions we must be ready to form the next government. But if we do form a coalition government, it will have to be after certain assurances from our partners for we do not wish to be subject to the kind of pressures and blackmail we are seeing now. It is in this context that we spoke of limited coalitions: we need their help to form the next government. At the same time out of 236 seats in the five states of Punjab, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu we have only six. If we do not go on our own to build from the grassroots in these states, can we ever hope to have our own majority in Parliament?