Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh says he is just selfless worker of his party and has no ambition of playing kingmaker or peace broker between the Congress and the BJP. “It is rather difficult to do any brokerage when there is no meeting ground,” he told IBNLive readers in a web chat on Wednesday. Singh told readers why his party decided the UPA Government during the floor test last year and why he believes Sanjay Dutt is a wronged man.
Aditya: How would you rate money, power and fame?
Amar Singh: These are very important aspects in life. It is fashionable to denounce money power and fame but that is hypocritical. All basically work for the same, including me. But the effort to achieve these should be legitimate and under the defined and articulated morality practised in society.
D R Gulati: It was Surjeet Singh earlier--could Amar Singh be the kingmaker in 2009?
Amar Singh: I am not in the business of being kingmaker. I am a loyal soldier of my party. I will be serving my party selflessly.
Manish:You are known as a master broker and strategist. Do you think you would like to broker peace between the BJP and the Congress?
Amar Singh: Out of the two national parties, the Congress is a feudal lord. It is yet to come to terms with the changing realities and emerging trends. With the BJP--led by L K Advani, Narendra Modi, and the new youth icon of fundamentalism, Varun Gandhi--it is difficult to bridge the gap. The Congress is not accessible.
It is rather difficult to do any brokerage when there is no meeting ground.
Saurabh Dogra: Why are you not fighting elections? Do you fear losing?
Amar Singh: Party work keeps me busy 24X7--sometimes, I am unable to attend Parliament. I welcome the trend in Left parties, whose leaders are involved in party work and do not go to Parliament.
DK: The Samajwadi Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav have their roots in Ram Manohar Lohia’s philosophy. Lohiaji believed in socialism and opposed Nehru-Gandhi dynasty politics, but today the SP is promoting dynastic politics.
Without any groundwork, many or most of Mulayam Singh’s relatives are MPs. Today, you are promoting the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. You deviated from your ideology? You should rather change the name of your party from ‘Samajwadi Party’ to ‘Malayam Singh’s Family Party’.
Amar Singh: There is a difference between Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and Mulayamji's politics. In Nehru dynasty, you are a born VIP. In SP, you will have to work hard to earn importance even if you are born in the family.
PAGE_BREAK
I am not a brother or son of Mulayam Singh, but still in people's perception I am second to him. We can't support L K Advani or the caste-ism of Mayawati. We support a lesser evil.
Vibhor Singhal: Do you think new parties founded by youth and educated people will replace the existing monopoly of the BJP and the Congress?
Amar Singh: Education plays an important role in the mental growth of people, but universal educational is yet to be achieved. No individual can be barred, because of the fact that he is not educationally competent. The competence of a candidate in the fray is based on his capacity to give a lot to society.
Rafia Iqubal: Will you take Aishwarya Rai into SP later?
Amar Singh: She recently married to Abhishek Bachchan, who is like my son. I don't want to be tormentor of their matrimonial bliss.
Rafia Iqubal: What about Amitabh Bachchan?
Amar Singh: Mr Amitabh Bachchan is my elder brother. I treat him like the head of my family. This explains my feeling for him.
Abhishek Ojha: You are one politician who despite not being in power is always in the limelight--be it your closeness with industrialist Anil Ambani or film stars like Bachchans and now Sanjay Dutt. Why do you then refrain from being a minister either in central or state level? Is it something with your principles?
Amar Singh: I hate unnecessary accountability that comes with ministerial chair because of my personality. My persona is not limited only to politics and goes beyond that. But, that doesn't mean that I am an escapist who does want to be a minister.
Saurabh: What is the future of the Lalu Prasad-Mulayam Singh Yadav alliance?
Amar Singh: Life is run on the basis of hope and optimism. It will be a true alliance. Right now it is a consolidation of entire OBC leadership. There are 120 seats (in UP and Bihar) and this itself is a major achievement. We are Number One in our respective states; we are the most secular among all.
EDA: I feel the SP will be marginalized in Uttar Pradesh. I don't see SP getting more than 20 seats.
Amar Singh: Your estimation may prove to be wrong. Right now, your question is based on wrong estimation. That is why the question is hypothetical.
PAGE_BREAK
Vaibhav Tripathi: Why are you giving tickets to the tainted candidates for election?
Amar Singh: On the contrary, we have removed all tainted. If you are referring to Sanjay Dutt, we are proud of his association with us. He committed minor crime in a bad situation and has paid a heavy price for it.
In the past 15 years, he has committed no crime and the UNO has appointed him as its global ambassador for malnutrition awareness. Even the SC has acknowledged this in its verdict. He is loved by millions; he comes from a good family. He has been acquitted long back from TADA charges.
Rehan: What do you and your think about Varun Gandhi?
Amar Singh: I think he is young man in great hurry to hit the headline. He has opted for a short-cut route on the pattern of Raj Thackeray. In politics, we don't support his fundamentalist views.
Abhishek Ojha: When will Uttar Pradesh become an Uttam Pradesh? It is strong, be it politics, history, natural or human resources but still it has a number of problems.
Amar Singh: I agree with you. I think a proper political leadership with vision is a cure for this.
Comments
0 comment