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The Rediff Political Interview/Vazhappadi Ramamurthy

'Does Sonia want to save the DMK and the TMC?'

Vazhappadi Ramamurthy's timing has been all wrong. After crying himself hoarse urging Sonia Gandhi to take over the party, which went unheeded at that time, he left the Congress in Tamil Nadu at a time when there was a mass exodus from that party, to form a new party. The Tamizhaga Rajiv Congress has aligned with Jayalalitha Jayaram's All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam -- in protest against who he had left the Congress for the first time in 1993.

If he was surprised at Sonia's subsequent decision to campaign for the party, he is too seasoned a campaigner to show his true emotions. But throughout this interview with Shobha Warrier, he spoke about the party and the first family of Indian politics as if he was still a Congressman.

You always wanted Sonia Gandhi to be an active member of the Congress. You had said earlier that only she could save the party. Now that she has decided to campaign for the Congress, do you regret having left the party and aligning with the AIADMK?

Not at all. Not once but umpteen times, I and many other Congressmen had requested her to enter active politics. She never said anything; just kept mum. She used to listen to us very carefully, that's all. After the general election was announced, nearly 16 state units cracked, but she remained quiet. Unfortunately, she entered the scene only after everything collapsed. I really do not know whether her timing was correct or not. Much damage has already been done to the party, and at best she has averted further damage by deciding to campaign for the party, that's all.

But I do not regret my decision to move away from the party. Yes, I admire the family a lot, even now. But the political situation is such that I had to leave.

We are very hurt about her speech at Sriperumbudur where she launched her party's election campaign. She did not say anything about the assassination of our leader, Rajiv Gandhi. Moreover, she did not attack the people responsible for the assassination. I do not know what kind of propaganda she is carrying out. Does she want to save the DMK? Or, does she want to save the TMC? If she really wants to save them, why did the Congress withdraw support to the United Front?

The Jain Commission report clearly states that it is the DMK which harboured the LTTE. On May 22, 1991, a day after the assassination, I had very clearly said that this assassination was a handiwork of the LTTE with active support from the DMK. I said this six years ago, and now I have been proved right.

The Jain Commission report also said that Indira Gandhi first helped the LTTE by giving training to them here in India.

I am sorry, you are wrong. The DMK wanted to create confusion in the minds of people. You have to divide this LTTE affair into two parts. One, till the Indo-Sri Lankan accord, and the other after the accord. Unless you divide the issue into two parts, you will get confused.

I had even said in Parliament that the LTTE should be given recognition. But I never supported them after the accord whereas the DMK supported them. That started everything.

Don't you think the Jain Commission report has done more damage to the Congress than any other party?

I don't think it did any damage to the Congress party. What did more damage to it was pulling the UF government down. God alone can save that party now!

They pulled the government down on the basis of the report and now they are not even talking about it. Why?

Yes, that's what I am saying. Now people really suspect their keenness to identify the culprits behind the assassination. They were only being self-centered, since they wanted to bring down the government and have a fresh poll. But all that has misfired.

Do you think Sonia's campaign will help the Congress in this election?

I don't know about the North. But in the South, it may help in some places in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. You see, people from the South have always respected the Nehru family. That may help the party a little. But here in Tamil Nadu, in her speech at Sriperumbudur, she did not even mention the culprits like Moopanar and Chidambaram who are now behind the DMK. She was not willing to expose them.

Why do you think she desisted from attacking the DMK and the TMC?

I really do not know. Probably Moopanar might have misguided her. He may even join the Congress after the election, I suspect that eventuality. If she believes what Moopanar says, I think Sonia Gandhi does not have real faith in her husband. For the sake of politics, if you are going to do that... I feel sorry.

Chidambaram confidently said somewhere that Sonia Gandhi would not attack the TMC.

Yes. Even after giving such false evidence to the Jain Commission, he is a member of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. I really do not know how Sonia can pardon him.

Justice Jain has criticised Tamils as a whole in his report. Do you think the Tamil pride is hurt by the remark?

This is a propaganda Karunanidhi is carrying out. I know him very well. Whenever he is in trouble, he will bring the entire Tamils to the scene. I know all these gimmicks. As a Tamil, I am not hurt. Those who got hurt are the ones who helped the LTTE.

Do you think Sonia was forced into politics by many Congressmen?

No. It was the crisis faced by the Congress that might have forced her. Had she not entered the scene, the Congress would have disintegrated by this time.

The rural people whom I met in Sriperumbudur felt she entered the political scene to pave the way for her daughter, Priyanka. As a person who met Sonia quite a few times, do you share that view?

That's just their imagination. If she wanted, Priyanka could enter politics in her own right. I don't think she needs Sonia's help.

If the Congress returns to power, even though nobody expects that, will you return to the Congress?

We will not go back. See, we have already burnt our fingers, we had a bitter experience. Also, Sonia Gandhi kept mum all these years. So, we had to save our own party.

What exactly do you mean, burnt your fingers?

See, we were waiting, waiting and waiting. We told her several times about the incapacity of Sitaram Kesri to lead the party or the country. But she kept quiet. What else could we do?

Do you feel she was scared of the BJP coming to power and reopening the Bofors case? Could that be the reason why she decided to campaign for the party now?

Let me tell you one thing. She has rightfully asked the government to expose the people who are involved in Bofors. I welcome that. This Bofors issue cannot be an election issue all along. Even in 1989, V P Singh said you give me power, within fifteen days I will expose the culprits. He is still alive. Why didn't he expose the culprits?

The Narasimha Rao government lasted five full years. So, a Congress government also did not do anything.

The Deve Gowda government did not do anything. Even the present Gujral government did not do anything. That's why I say, don't use this as an issue for the election. Rajiv Gandhi categorically said that neither he nor his family is involved in it. And, you wanted to disprove that. Try doing it.

In the CBI chargesheet, Ottavio Quattrocchi is one of the prime accused. And he is a friend of the Gandhis.

We are not bothered about Quattrocchi or the CBI. All we want is for the names of the culprits. We join Sonia Gandhi in asking for that.

The V Ramamurthy interview continues