?Samajwadis have become Namazwadis?

There would hardly be any one in Bharat who follows political and social upheavals and still not heard of Amar Singh. In his checkered political career, which he started as a student activist in Kolkata and traversed through various political parties, he has been witness to many watershed moments in which he was instrumental in changing the political discourse in the country. Recently, he donated his house in his ancestral home, Azamgarh, to Sewa Bharti. The initiative is indicative of his intention to do Samajniti alongside Rajniti. It was interesting to know his views on the RSS and his future plans, among others. In an exclusive interview, he spoke to Rajan Khanna, Organiser Mumbai Correspondent. Excerpts:

My political journey started when I was studying in Kolkata in the early 1970s. I found that the Naxalite movement was at its peak among student circles. Chhatra Parishad was a strong platform on which people with anti-naxalite narrative had gathered. It was only natural for me to join hands with people like Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and Subrat Mukherji, who were already active on that platform.

Emergency imposed by Ms Indira Gandhi had shaken the very political foundation of Bharat to no end; political parties irrespective of ideologies had decided that no ruling dispensation in future should be able to enforce draconian regime like the Emergency. Those in the Congress party like Shri Jagjivan Ram who were against the dictatorial ways of Mrs Gandhi formed an outfit called Congress For Democracy (CFD). I joined the party, and when CFD was merged into Janta Party before Lok Sabha elections in 1977, I became an active member.

After Janta Party split, I associated myself with the Congress party and was made a member of the AICC. Due to my close relations with late Madhav Rao Scindia, I had an opportunity to come in contact with his mother late Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia. I was very much impressed by her simplicity and even tried to bridge the gap between mother and the son which was fuelled by some individuals with vested interests.

Throughout my political career, I have always maintained good relation with people belonging to various political parties. I enjoyed very cordial relationship with former PM Chandrashekhar, who earlier was a congressman and later became president of the Janta Party, and Nanaji Deshmukh who was a committed RSS swayamsevak as well as a stalwart of Bhartiya Jansangh who subsequently devoted his life to the cause of social uplift. Similarly, I had excellent relations with Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav and owing to my displeasure with the policies of Congress party, I couldn’t resist the offer to join Samajwadi party which happened in 1996.

How many followers of Shri Lohia do know that he used to organise Ramayan Mela and Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee used to participate in it. How can those who killed innocent Rambhakts in Ayodhya dare to call themselves true followers of Ram Manohar Lohia? Today parties who call themselves Samajwadis have become Namazwadis themselves.

Few people know that despite ideological differences, Deendayal Upadhyay was very close to Ram Manohar Lohiya. Today, the so-called followers of Lohiya have forgotten his path, whereas I am glad, followers of Shri Deendayal have not forgotten his philosophy of integral humanism and are endeavouring to implement the same in every walk of life.

There were many moments when I had openly spoken my mind and influenced the final decision. However, two events turned out to be watershed moments in Bhartiya political history.In the year 2004, when the UPA government had won Lok Sabha elections and had almost decided to make Smt Sonia Gandhi as the PM, I had vociferously opposed the decision while mobilising opinion against it in my party also. President Dr Abdul Kalam wanted to know the views of various political parties before extending an invitation to the leader of the UPA. Had she become the PM, that would have sent a very wrong message to the world. The international community would have asked, “Wasn’t there any capable person available who was born in Bharat to lead the largest democracy of the world?

The Second crucial decision, which changed the course of the political history in Bharat was the nuclear deal to be signed between India and the USA. The Left, as is their wont, seldom support more signifeicant policy-making decisions for long-term interest of the nation. They withdrew support for the UPA government under some pretext on the nuclear deal. I convinced Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav about the strategic importance of the Indo-US Nuclear deal. His crucial support to the UPA saved the government and it became instrumental in signing the Nuclear deal.

Today, when we are on the verge of becoming a full-fledged member of the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) the relevance and indispensability of such a deal is becoming apparent.

I don’t have any qualms about declaring that I have become a big admirer of the policies of the PM Shri Narendra Modi. So, naturally I would like to work with him and his party. It depends on how the party wants to avail of the vast political experience of a person like me. I believe that under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, the stature of Bharat among the international community has soared to new heights. On national front, he is doing a fantabulous work of laying the foundation for strong and prosperous Bharat of tomorrow.

To put it in simple words, the party suffered a setback due to the following reasons: It lacked Samuhikta, Samanvyata and Samvad . That means there was a lack of Unity, Coordination and Communication among the party and its cadre. In the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will have to put its act together and communicate to the electorate the accomplishments of Shri Modi’s government.

RSS is not Kattar. It is Pratibhadha. As many may allege that it is a fundamentalist organisation, I do not find any reason to substantiate that allegation. On the contrary, it is a dedicated organisation, and that it is devoted to the cause of nation-building. I know so many RSS pracharaks who have sacrificed their lives in North-Eastern states of Bharat for the cause of national integration. I believe their sacrifice has resulted in BJP forming governments in many NE states today.

When was Ram Mandir not present at the site where Lord Shri Ram was born? It has always been there. The only thing left for us is to get rid of the ramshackle tent over Ram Lalla and build magnificent temple there in its place. Somnath Mandir was rebuilt because there was no politics involved; Sardar Patel did. It considered that it was a matter of national pride. In case of Ram Mandir, lot of politics has been done and that is the reason why it has been delayed. Those who have denied the existence of Lord Ram are now trying hard to prove their Hindutva credentials by projecting themselves as ‘Janeudhari’ Hindus now.

As I have told you, I am influenced by the work of RSS in the process of nation-building. Apart from my humble donation, I am also trying to associate myself with the Sewa Bharti in many other ways. Rajniti bahut ho gayi, ab Rashtraniti karne ka time hai.