JULY 29, 2018 • THE WEEK 3737question my faith and rituals that I
follow. But, it is also my right to follow
what has been my tradition.
Th is defensiveness also seemed
evident in the Gujarat campaign.
Weren’t Muslims kept at a distance
from your public platforms?
Absolutely not. Whether it is Hindus
or Muslims, both are an intrinsic part
of the Congress leadership, which is
apparent for everybody to see.
How did you see the prime minis-
ter’s comment on Rahul Gandhi’s
remarks—which you said was fake
news?
Mr. Modi has become a troll rather
than a prime minister. It is very sad
that a country’s prime minister himself
becomes a troll, that also in fake news.
Modi knows that in the last 50 months
he delivered zero. Th ere is no real MSP
for farmers, there are no jobs, no black
money has come back, it has actually
increased in the Swiss banks, economy
is in doldrums, businesses are shutting
down, and Modi does not know what
to do with foreign policy and neigh-
bours. So, he is bringing back the only
agenda and the only game that he
knows the best: do the Hindu-Muslim
divide, abuse, polarise, divide, spread
hatred and consequently garner votes.
Shashi Th aroor recently said if India
continues like this it will become a
‘Hindu Pakistan’. How do you see that
remark?
What Th aroor was trying to say was
that the BJP was polarising. And I
completely reject the metaphor that
he used. I think Congress leaders need
to be far more careful in the language
they use to describe a particular
situation. Yes, the BJP is polarising
and dividing, and they have an agenda
of hate. But, India can never become
Pakistan.
In 2019, does the Congress expect
to lead the non-BJP front, or are you
willing, like in the Uttar Pradesh as-
sembly elections, to take a back seat?
Th e Congress is the largest political
opposition to the BJP. Th at is a fact. In
terms of number of seats today, yes
we have 48 seats (only). But, in terms
of our national presence and the seats
that we hope to get, we are the only
political party that fi ghts elections from
Kashmir to Kerala, and from Tripura to
Porbandar. Is there any other political
party, other than the BJP, which is
fi ghting on this scale and level?All India Congress Committee
communications department
in charge Randeep Singh Sur-
jewala is an MLA and a former
cabinet minister in Haryana.
The youngest son of former
parliamentarian Shamsher
Singh Surjewala, Randeep is a
permanent invitee to the Con-
gress Working Committee. He
defeated former Haryana chief
minister Om Prakash Chautala
in two assembly elections and
became the youngest minister
in the state in 2005.So, naturally we hope to emerge as
the largest political party. I feel that
the Congress is going to repeat the
2004 performance, which will be going
closer to 200. I know you may fi nd
it extremely hard to believe, but the
numbers on the ground are saying that
we are doing extremely well, consid-
ering how much the government has
failed.
Who should lead this federal front?
Th e leader of the Congress is Rahul
Gandhi and he will be a natural person
to lead the federal front.
But, Mamata Banerjee is already not
on board with that.
Let us not reach 2019 in 2018. Let us
wait for things to emerge. After all, who
is Mamataji? She comes from a Con-
gress family. She is not somebody alien
to the Congress culture and thought
process. And Rahul Gandhi has shown
that he can walk across and also speak
to people who have diff erence of opin-
ion with the Congress.
Do you see yourself as the next chief
ministerial candidate of the Congress
in your home state, Haryana?
Th ose are questions that should be left
in the realm of absolute speculation
and I reject them. Who will be chief
minister is not important. Whether
we will get a government is far more
important.RANDEEP SINGH SURJEWALA
SANJAY AHLAWATWhat Th aroor was
trying to say was
that the BJP was
polarising. And I
completely reject
the metaphor
[Hindu Pakistan]
that he used.