‘Ahead of elections, a lot of Siberian cranes fly here and there‘: Manish Tewari on defections from Cong

A number of senior Congress leaders, including Congress MP from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was considered a dyed-in-the-wool Congress leader, have quit the party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. What is your take on that?

The conviction and commitment of a leader defines whether anyone is a dyed-in-the-wool party leader. When the election season approaches, a lot of Siberian cranes fly here and there. Unfortunately, it is not a new phenomenon and basically it is symptomatic of dilution of ideology or ideological values across the political stream. Most of the people who have left the Congress will not add any electoral value to the parties they have switched over to. The ethos of Punjab because of its historical evolution has been defined by its constant struggle against the ‘Dilli Durbar’ from time immemorial. The Durbaris may change but the struggle is constant.

How do you see the prospects of the Congress in these elections in Punjab?

The Congress will do well. The party has a strong ground organisation. And even the national mood has started to change. The desperate attempt by the BJP to shore up perception by hunting ‘migratory Siberian birds’ is actually symptomatic of the panic in the ranks of the BJP. Otherwise, confident parties count on their forte and do not require turncoats from other parties. And historically, if you look at the seats’ trajectory in Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, ruling state governments are at their lowest ebb in the parliamentary polls as these take place in the state usually during the mid-term of the ruling government and there is a high degree of anti-incumbency. Except 2019 Lok Sabha elections when we won eight seats (during the Congress regime in Punjab), the past pattern shows that ruling state governments faced high anti-incumbency during Parliament elections.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge appeared favouring an alliance with INDIA bloc partner AAP in Punjab for LS polls while speaking at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi last week. Even it was believed that the sitting party MPs from Punjab wanted an alliance with the AAP. Your comment on this?

I am not in the business of interpreting the statement of the Congress president. It is self-speaking. I have nothing to add or subtract to it.

It was being said that you were keen to contest from Chandigarh this time. Also, as Ravneet Bittu has now switched over to the BJP, is there a probability that you may go back to contest from Ludhiana?

I won’t comment on internal political processes of the party. I am a sitting MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib. That is the only reality I am cognisant of.

You are a lawyer. What is your take on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate which came just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections?

In my 43-year political career, I have continuously and strongly voiced my opposition to political vendetta. Whether in Punjab or anywhere else. Political vendetta should not define our polity. It is a zero-sum game. What you sow you eventually have to reap.