Veteran leader Margaret Alva says the vice presidential election, in which she is the common candidate of the opposition, is not about winning or losing but about making a point and attempting to change the situation, especially with regard to the functioning of the Parliament.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Alva, who is up against Jagdeep Dhankhar, the NDA candidate, said she has reached out to all MPs irrespective of party, and written a separate letter to all women MPs. She said she hopes the MPs will listen to their conscience as they vote, stressing there is no whip in the election and it involves a secret ballot.
The 80-year-old Alva said she wondered if the election could be called a free election because of the pressure being felt by parties and leaders on account of action against them by investigating agencies.
She said she was dismayed by the decision of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that her party should abstain from voting in the election. She said Banerjee has been at the forefront of fighting the BJP and she believed that the Trinamool supremo still had opposition unity as her priority.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. What is the significance of the vice presidential election for you?
A. The opposition wanted to put up a common candidate and wanted a credible name acceptable to all. So I was approached. I know that it is a battle in which the numbers are stacked against us. But it is not a question only of winning or losing. If because of numbers you don't fight an election, then you should not fight the general election either. I have been in Parliament for 30 years. I have chaired both houses. I said yes because I was prepared to accept the challenge. We are making our point of view. We are making our concerns known.
The voters in this case are only Members of Parliament of the two houses. I know numbers are with them. But there is no whip in this election. And it is a secret ballot. And the MPs are also concerned with what is happening. Parliament doesn't function. There is no debate or discussion. That is why we are making a point and attempting to change the situation.
Q. Did you have any concerns as you took your decision to contest?
A. It is because I had concerns that I said yes. I was concerned and I think lots and lots of thinking citizens are concerned at what is happening in Parliament. It took 15 days for the Opposition to get the government to agree to a discussion on price rise. Dharnas, placards, expulsions, suspensions, adjournments. Look at the amount of time that has been wasted. Do you know what was on the government's agenda during this time? Promotion of sports in the country. What is the priority of the people? You have to respond to the concerns of the people as Members of Parliament. People are angry with rising prices. They want answers from the government.
Q. You visited Parliament at a time when the relations between the government and the opposition were marked by extreme bitterness.
A. I went to the Central Hall. I met people across party lines. I asked them for support. They were all so warm. There were so many old memories. I have friends everywhere. I worked in different parts of the country. I have been a minister for ten years and an MP for 30 years. But I did feel that the Houses didn't function. People were sitting on dharna on the porch. There were people with placards in the corridors. I was amazed at the confusion. This was not the case in the past. We had a very strong opposition. Indira ji was attacked and subjected to criticism. There was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was so eloquent in his criticism. I was a backbencher who attacked and criticised my own government. There was never any fear. We differed, we spoke, the government answered.
Q. What kind of response have you got from MPs?
A. I am going to everyone in Parliament. I have addressed a letter to all MPs. I have conveyed my concerns to them, telling them that it is possible to correct the situation. I am telling them that there is a need for a neutral, experienced person who is committed to bringing all sections together. The primary responsibility to make the house function is of the Chair.
Q. You have reached out to chief ministers as well.
A. There are 20 parties that are together in this election. In the last few days before the election, more of them will make up their minds. By and large, the response has been extremely positive. For instance, I spoke to my chief minister in Karnataka. I said to him that I am from Karnataka, and you have a duty to support me. He said we are all with you, but we have to follow the party line. I said Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik supported Droupadi Murmu though she did not belong to the BJD. He said they are a regional party and can change its decisions, but we are part of a national party. So I am talking to everybody irrespective of party.
Q. Do you feel MPs will use this opportunity to address their concerns and vote in defiance of the party line?
A. There have been conscience votes before. In Droupadi Murmu's case, people have voted across parties because she was a tribal. So it depends on what each MP's concerns are. I have addressed a separate letter to women Members of Parliament.
Q. The opposition parties are not united in this election. For example, the Trinamool Congress has decided to abstain.
A. They all have their concerns and problems. There is the ED. There are arrests, there are raids. They have raided the National Herald. They arrested Mamata's minister. There are cases against the JMM and the Shiv Sena. Is this a free election, I wonder. All the same, the battle has to be fought, and we are fighting it to the best of our ability.
Q. Were you surprised at the stance taken by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee concerning the vice presidential election?
A. I was dismayed. We are very good friends and are very close.
Q. Have you reached out to her and what has been her response?
A. Mamata has been at the forefront of fighting the BJP and bringing the opposition parties together. She has taken the lead in everything. So I still believe that she has opposition unity as her priority.
Q. When you say the election is not a free election, are you implying that the government is putting pressure on parties?
A. I did not say that. But I do say that today there are concerns because of the action against opposition leaders. The government says it has nothing to do with it, it is the ED. Ok, they have nothing to do with it. But why the ED?
Q. You said your phones were under surveillance.
A. Our phones are under surveillance all the time. My phones went dead for some time. And then calls were going to strangers and strange places. The calls were being diverted. I complained, and finally, the chairman of MTNL had to intervene himself. He apologised and said he would get the service restored. So if the chairman also realises that something was wrong, then it must be true.
Q. After your nomination for the VP election, the BJP has been citing parts of your autobiography to attack the Gandhis.
A. They can pick up anything. They can pick up my ancestry. They can pick up my religion, my past. I am not concerned. After all, that's what elections are all about. But I am not going into my book because this is not a book promotion campaign. It is an election campaign in which we are fighting what we believe is going wrong in the country and Parliament.
Q. How do you view your opponent in the election, Jagdeep Dhankhar?
A. You have seen Mr Dhankhar's record in West Bengal. If that is going to be the record in the Rajya Sabha, can normalcy be restored in Rajya Sabha? Mr Venkaiah Naidu was there. He could have been given another term. He is from the south. He was well respected, sober and a man of experience. If you couldn't make him president, you could have at least continued him as vice president. That would have been much more acceptable to all.
Q Your name for the post was suggested by a non-Congress opposition leader and not your own party, to begin with. Your views?
A. I was not proposed as a Congress candidate. It was very clear that the opposition wanted a unanimous choice, a consensus name amongst the opposition parties. And Congress had said they would go along. So the parties said let us sit together and find a suitable name, and they discussed some names, of which I have no idea since I was not part of any discussion. I was approached and it was conveyed to me that the opposition parties have an agreement on your name so if you can help us, so I said yes. I was then asked to come to Delhi. I had tea with all the leaders at Sharad Pawar ji's house.
Q. Have you met Congress President Sonia Gandhi after your name was announced as VP candidate? What did she have to say?
A. I met the Congress President before I filed my nomination. And she said that either she or Rahul would be there on the occasion.
Q. You attended the Udaipur Chintan Shivir. Were you satisfied with the outcome of the meeting?
A. It was a very good experience. It was a good meeting. It was like a family wedding. People from all over the country were there. There was a free and frank discussion.
Q. It must hurt you to see your party losing election after election.
A. That is not true. When we win elections, are we allowed to run our governments? What happened in Karnataka, Maharashtra, in Madhya Pradesh? We had won against the BJP. The same was the case in Goa, in Manipur. We get the people's verdict but our governments are not allowed to function. Now, they are trying the same tactics in Jharkhand. Money, threats, muscle power, everything is being used to topple our governments.
Q. The Congress appears to have lost heft as a principal opposition party too.
A. I don't think so at all. Elections have their ups and downs. The BJP had two seats at one time. The Congress after Indiraji's assassination swept the nation. It is ultimately the people who decide, neither the press nor the political class. So also in this election. It is the MP who will decide, not the government or the opposition.
