[Trans India]

Published date: Sep 1977

CONGRESS PARTY PRESIDENT- BRAHMANANDA REDDY

“We Will Return to Power Soon”

Transindia: Mr. Reddy, many people feel that the Congress Party has had a great past, but does not have a great future. Would you like to comment on that?

Brahmananda Reddy: That the Congress Party had a great and glorious past is accepted by every-body. In spite of the setback in March and June, I should reason- ably think that this organization, which is not a mere party but a national movement, has strong roots everywhere, and its network is so great that it embraces the entire rural India, and urban India. Our fundamental policies, like democracy, secularism, socialism, and non-alignment, have not been rejected by the people. In fact, though there was some misuse and abuse of power at certain levels, the people were led to think that some dictatorial trends had come into play, and it was said that there was an unnecessary projection of a certain young man. Still, you know, such things cannot have a lasting impression. So long as our basic policies are accepted, so long as our programs are accepted, so long as there is the inherent faith of the people in the Congress, we feel that provided we go about the job properly, provided we bring in democratic functioning at all levels, and give up this personality cult, certainly the Congress has a great future.

The last elections were not normal elections in the sense that people did not exercise their minds; they reacted to certain things. People ask me why we are on the defensive. We are not on the defensive. You see, the Emergency has brought in its train certain abnormalities. The fact that the reason for promulgating the Emergency has never been agreed upon by everybody has not helped Some people who are in power today say that Mrs. Gandhi did it for personal reasons. Some Congressmen say that the situation created by the then Opposition parties led to law-lessness and disorder, and that elected representatives could not be forced to resign. But because in the execution of programs several things went wrong in the later months of the Emergency. and because the media, they say, was controlled, all sorts of rumors circulated which tarnished our image.

Transindia: Mr. Reddy, we have heard several Congressmen saying similar things. Why was there no move to bring to the attention of the people concerned the excesses that were taking place?

Brahmananda Reddy: Many things which might have been done by a small clique or caucus, call it what you like, could not have been done by everybody, you see. But such of those excesses which had come to our notice, we had pointed out to the concerned people, the concerned agencies, the Chief Ministers of those States. And they would normally answer by saying that nothing was happening! I have personally pointed out several instances in Uttar Pradesh. Haryana, and several other places. But then, you see, it is difficult for anybody sitting here in Delhi to control whatever happens through-out the country. Law and order, moreover, is a state subject.

Transindia: Many people feel that if you, as the Home Minister, were more assertive, things might have been different.

Brahmananda Reddy: Go and see my records-how many letters I wrote, to Chief Ministers, how many letters the Home Secretary wrote to Chief Ministers! How many individual. cases were pointed out! The State Ministries began to get out of Nand!

Transindia: More than five months after the March elections, there are no signs of the emergence of a particular side in the Congress Party. There is a pro-Mrs. Gandhi side, and an anti-Mrs. Gandhi side.

Brahmananda Reddy: There is no pro-anybody or anti-anybody! Just because, under this ‘personality cult’, something had happened which damaged the Congress very much, we felt, and we have assessed the situation, that democratic functioning must take place at all levels. Such of those institutions which exist within our Party, should discuss threadbare our policies, and come to a collective decision.

Transindia: But the manner in which things have been moving in the last few days indicates that the trend is toward a return to the old days, to dominance by Mrs. Gandhi.

Brahmananda Reddy: There is no question of domination by anybody. It is what we want to prevent! There should not be domination by any one individual. It’s a question of collective functioning, in a democratic way. What we are against is not personal personality, but the personality. cult! We are reorganizing our Pradesh Congress Committees, and our District Congress Committees. We want them to be creative bodies. We want them to be lively institutions. We want them to involve as many people as possible.

Transindia: But isn’t too much time being spent in deciding the issue of leadership of the Congress, collective. or whatever?

Brahmananda Reddy: What decision are you talking of? You are again confusing the issue! What I am saying is. I should not be the only man to dictate policy, to dictate programs. On the other hand, I am one among many. Maybe I’m the President, but I should not control everything.

Transindia: So, in effect you are implying that there is no conflict within the Congress Party?

Brahmananda Reddy: No, there is no conflict! So far as the Congress is concerned, it is a question of reviving the old method of functioning It is a question of reviving the old values. It is a question of reviving the confidence and the credibility of the people in our organization.

Transindia: Are you suggesting that the Congress should return to its state thirty years back?

Brahmananda Reddy: I mean ‘going back’ so far as values are concerned. We had certain moral values, we had certain ethical values, we had democratic functioning, people had great confidence and faith in us; all that must be brought back! It doesn’t mean that I want the Congress of 92 years back!

Transindia: But if there has been a breach of the trust that people reposed in the Congress for thirty years since Independence, do you think that that trust can be restored at all?

Brahmananda Reddy: We are regaining it quickly, if I may say so.

Transindia: Many people feel that there is no possibility of the Congress returning to power for a long time to come. Would you comment on that?

Brahmananda Reddy: I think we should be able to come back within the next few years. I think the Congress. will return to power within a few years.

Transindia: Many Congressmen have defected and joined the Janata Party, haven’t they?

Brahmananda Reddy: Not many, not many! If you had seen the defections that had taken place in 1971 and 1972 from other parties to the Congress Party, if you had seen how many people from other parties had Joined the Congress Party then, this is just a fraction.

Transindia: Many prominent Congressmen like Tarun Kanti Ghosh, who was Home Minister of West Bengal during the Emergency, have gone over to the Janata Party …

Brahmananda Reddy: I don’t want to comment on that case. If you switch your tape-recorder off, then I will!

Transindia: How do you rate the Congress Party’s performance after the Lok Sabha elections?

Brahmananda Reddy: We have done well, very well. You see, we were in power for thirty years, and now we are a constructive opposition. We are sure we will enhance our stature by functioning as an enlightened opposition. And the people are not very happy with the Janata government, either. They have made too many promises!

Transindia: But wasn’t that what the Congress Party did, too?

Brahmananda Reddy: What do you mean?

Transindia: We are talking of successive election manifestos of your Party which promised many things but delivered very few of them.

Brahmananda Reddy: I am not saying that we implemented 100% of what we promised. But generally, what we promised, we did. Maybe sometimes we made some excessive promises. But our Party is known lor its sincerity, though in some cases we have no doubt failed to implement fully our promises.

Transindia: It was amazing with what ease so many of the senior Congressmen were silenced when the Emergency was clamped down. Now, such attitudes change slowly, and people still believe that it would be easy to impose one dominant train of thought on the majority of Congress members.

Brahmananda Reddy: So long as we have the interests of our Party, and the Interests of the country, at heart. we should be able to prevent such dominance in future.

Transindia: Your Party has reportedly not cooperated fully with the Government in helping repeal the 42nd Amendment. Why has this happened, although both sides now agree that there are many obnoxious portions in the Amendment?

Brahmadanda Reddy: Why should the Congress Party move first? Our Party in Parliament has told them (the government) that they should tell us what they want to do. If they don’t tell us what they want to do. and if they say we are not cooperating what nonsense is this? The 42nd Amendment, which has been passed by us. we say we think again. we say we keep an open mind. and we say you please propose what changes you want! And you don’t do it. and you say we are not cooperating! merely saying that the 42nd Amend- What is this? What’s the use of mint should go? Come on. what is wrong with the 42nd Amendment. how many articles of it are wrong. where it should be corrected, where il should be amended-come, let us discuss! They wanted to reduce the term of the legislatures and of par-lament to 5 years again. Now why should it be 5 years? Why can’t it be 4 years! Or 3 years! Or 6 years! What is their clinching argument to say it should be 5 years? What is the sanctity of 5 years? Therefore. it is a question of the ball being in the Government’s court! What to amend. what not to amend. they do not know. And they say we are not cooperating? Does our cooperation mean that we agree to whatever the Government does? Is that the way Parliament functions?

Transindia: What does your party think of the Janata government’s performance so far?

Brahmananda Reddy: We say they have not made up their minds yet on many issues. We want them to make up their minds. to be clear about their economic policies and their social policies.

Transindia: Will your Party cooperate with the government in scrapping the provisions relating promulgation of Emergency in the Constitution?

Brahmananda Reddy: Certainly, we do not want to have a situation in future in which democracy can be throttled, we do not want the people’s voice to be stilled.