`Why are they so scared of Matang Singh?’

MARCH 3: Former Union Minister and Narasimha Rao loyalist Matang Singh was earlier this week expelled from the Congress for six years for ...

MARCH 3: Former Union Minister and Narasimha Rao loyalist Matang Singh was earlier this week expelled from the Congress for six years for indulging in anti-party activities, a move viewed in party circles as an attempt by Sonia to quell dissidence and reassert her authority. Singh, who wielded immense clout during the Rao regime, being one of his closest confidants, was long known to be in the anti-Sonia camp. In recent months, especially after the party’s Lok Sabha debacle, he was reported to have become the centre of “dissident activity.” Coming to terms with his expulsion from a party he was associated for two-and-half decades, Singh spoke SANJIV SINHA on what he felt were the reasons for his ouster and his future plans.

What do you think are the reasons for your rather sudden expulsion from the party, that too without a show-cause notice.

It is nothing more than a panic reaction by Sonia and her coterie of advisors who have felt increasingly nervous and jittery after repeated debacles, first in the Lok Sabha elections last year and now in the assembly elections where the party has been wiped out in four states. They are feeling insecure since leaders and workers have begun asking uncomfortable questions. Her leadership has come under a cloud and is seriously threatened.

Do you think you have been singled out because of your long known opposition to Sonia.

What does opposition to Sonia mean? Does it mean writing several letters to her in my individual capacity as a Congressman, bringing to her notice the manner in which the party had fallen prey to wheeler-dealers in place of leaders? Yes, I apprised her on several occasions on how she was surrounded by sycophants and a small coterie which advises her not in the interest of the party but for their own personal ends. They were confidential letters which I did not leak to the press as many party leaders are wont of doing for cheap publicity. But there was silence from her side.

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But you have been accused of organising a revolt in the party by holding secret parleys with other party leaders, known to be unhappy with the present leadership. Isn’t this anti-party activity?

Is meeting senior party leaders or inviting them over for my son’s birthday function a crime or anti-party activity? Aren’t they after all Congress leaders? Yes, it is a fact that we have been meeting regularly but that does not mean that I am conspiring against a particular individual who is insecure about her leadership. The party is larger than the individual. Why are they so scared of Matang Singh?

But let me tell you there are many in the party who feel suffocated and unhappy with the present state of affairs in the party and the way it is being managed. They may be quiet for the time being but they will come out in the open at the appropriate time.

There is also the view that you are creating all this noise simply because you got a raw deal from Sonia, that you were not given a Rajya Sabha nomination. Then there are specific charges against you of working against the party’s candidates in your native state of Assam in the Lok Sabha elections.

Whose view is this, tell me. Or I will tell you. These are views of a handful of back-room manipulators who disguise themselves as leaders. I am not opposed to any single individual but to the culture of coterie politics. I am not hungry for power or position. If I were, why would I write successive letters to the Congress president, knowing full well the implications? I would have rather struck a deal and become a loyalist. Look what happened to Vijayabhaskara Reddy and the manner in which he was pressurised to sign on the dotted line against me. Is this the way to run a 114-year-old party?

Will a dubious person like Santosh Mohan Deb decide whether I indulged in anti-party activities in Assam? Let them name the area and the candidate against whom I worked. Instead of rushing to take action, the AICC should have at least asked me for a clarification. I can name so many senior central leaders who have openly worked to ensure the defeat of party nominees. But has any action been taken.

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You have charged that the Congress has become a private limited company under Sonia. But isn’t that true for all party presidents, including Narasimha Rao.

The Indian National Congress is an institution and everybody has a right to express his views but under present leadership it has fallen prey to brokers. See what happened to senior leaders like Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma, and Meira Kumar. Important leaders have been alienated and this is simply because personal interests have become more important than the party’s interests under Sonia and her coterie. It wasn’t so blatant under Rao or Kesri. The re-unification of the party will take place only after Sonia steps down…the people have already rejected her leadership in the last two elections.

What about the charge that you have also been hobnobbing with the BJP?

These are all baseless charges. How can I be organising a revolt in the party and also be hobnobbing with the BJP at the same time? The party workers know who in the Congress is selling out the interests of the party to the BJP. There are serious charges but I will expose these people only at the appropriate time.

You are said to be a Narasimha Rao loyalist. Is this action against you aimed at striking at him?

Sonia Gandhi is better placed to answer this question. My loyalty is to the party not to any individual. Yes, I have worked under Rao as a Minister and have been closely associated with him but what do they want, that I start abusing him now that he is out of power? I am sorry I cannot do this.

What about your future plans?

“Waqt aane de, bata denge tujhe ae aasmaan, hum abhi se kya bataaein kya hamare dil mein hai.” (When the time comes, I will tell you what my inner feelings are…how can I reveal them now). My fight is not alone. People in the party will very soon realise the importance of what I have been saying. You will see it happen before you sooner than later. But let me tell you, I am a Congressman, despite my expulsion, and I will continue to work for strengthening the party wherever I am.