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The Rediff Interview/ Jaywantiben Mehta

'We would have liked Kalyan Singh to stay with us'

Minister of State for Power Jaywantiben Mehta is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Disciplinary Action Committee. The same panel that on Thursday, December 9, expelled Kalyan Singh, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, from the BJP for six years. Speaking to Amberish K Diwanji, she explained the reasons for the expulsion, insisting that Kalyan Singh's vituperative remarks against Prime Minister A B Vajpayee left the party with no other alternative. Excerpts from the exclusive interview:

The first question is, was it necessary to expel Kalyan Singh?

Absolutely. There was no other alternative. For 10 to 11 months we kept quiet. We wanted him to continue in the party. After all, he was of some value to the party in Uttar Pradesh. But the way he went on making statements, there was no other way out.

Could not the differences have been resolved some other way?

That was our attempt. We did try from our side for the past 10 months. But we did not get any positive response from him.

Will not his expulsion affect your party?

Not at all. And remember, some things are based on principles and discipline. If a person abuses you once, you will keep quiet. If he abuses you twice, you will look at him but still keep quiet. But if he goes on and on and you still keep quiet, then the conclusion drawn will be that you are a weak person. Hence, under such circumstances, one has to take action, no matter who the other person is.

You said his expulsion won't have any adverse impact on the party. But your party president Kushabhau Thakre thinks otherwise.

In Uttar Pradesh, it will have some impact. It is like this, when a train changes tracks, for some time there is a lot of noise. Similarly, there will be some noise for some time in Uttar Pradesh and then everything will be normal.

If he joins Mulayam Singh Yadav?

How big is Mulayam Singh Yadav? His clout is restricted to Uttar Pradesh. Let Kalyan Singh join him...we are not at all worried.

The problem is that your party has expelled two backward class leaders - first it was Shankarsinh Vaghela and now it is Kalyan Singh. Does that not give the BJP an anti-backward image?

Why do you link it to caste or class? Discipline is something that is not linked to caste but to individuals.

But the fact is that the party has acquired an anti-backward image.

That is an image created by journalists...common people do not share this perception. If the BJP is anti-backward can you tell me what was the caste of leaders like Maurichand Sharma, Parmanand, Balraj Madhok? Were they of my caste?

And for record's sake, Vaghela is a Rajput, don't make him a backward or an OBC.

But surely you will lose the votes of their supporters?

That is what you believe. Sooner or later, voters will realise what we did was right. Shankarsinh Vaghela became a chief minister (after he defected from the BJP) but he soon realised he had a limited support base and joined the Congress.

Do you think the same will happen to Kalyan Singh?

Certainly! The very same.

What if he joins hands with Mulayam Singh Yadav? The two would make a formidable combination

Very good! Let him do it. That is Kalyan Singh's wish, what do we care. Whether he forms a new party or merges his party with another, or joins an existing party, it is his desire. But remember Vaghela started by forming his own party, the Rashtriya Janata Party, and then ended up joining the Congress. Ultimately, it is all a matter of power, of ambition. For such people a political party has no value.

Your central leadership rarely gets along with leaders like Vaghela and Kalyan Singh?

The central leadership had no problems with Vaghela...

His reason for quitting was that the central leadership refused to hear him.

That is totally untrue. The central leadership heard out Vaghela, and the central leadership heard out Kalyan Singh.

And regarding your question about the central leadership having problems with regional leaders, let me categorically state that the BJP central leadership was willing to offer Kalyan Singh a place in the union cabinet. If Kalyan Singh refused to accept the post, what is the fault of the central leadership or of the prime minister?

Why is Kalyan Singh alone being held responsible for the BJP's debacle in Uttar Pradesh?

That is not true. He was not removed from the chief minister's post because of the party's poor performance in Uttar Pradesh. He had in Aligarh, through the media, made some uncharitable remarks against the prime minister. It is for this reason that he was removed.

Singh has charged the BJP leadership with ignoring certain issues such as the Ram temple...

It is still part of the BJP's agenda.

But he claims that for the sake of grabbing power and winning elections, the party has chosen to forget this issue.

That is totally untrue. He is only echoing the statements of the opposition. We have not left this issue out.

But nobody has mentioned anything about Ram Temple in your party in a long, long time.

The fact is that a Ram temple is our desire. And it is our promise. But today, when this country of 1 billion people needs a focused approach to growth, it would be unwise digress from our priorities.

Anything else you would like to add about Kalyan Singh?

We would have liked Kalyan Singh to stay with us. But what do we do when he goes around making statements like he'll destroy the BJP, or float a new party? If Kalyan believes in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, if he believes in Hindutva, he should not behave in such a manner.

So is the party worried about any fallout?

None at all. In a few days, everything will be fine.

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