Interview | Amit Shah should resign because of my acquittal: Akhil Gogoi
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Guwahati: A few hours after his acquittal by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Thursday, Akhil Gogoi organised a press conference at the office of Raijor Dal, the political wing of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the peasant organisation which Gogoi headed until he was put behind bars for 18 months on multiple charges filed both by the Assam Police and the NIA.
The Wire caught up with him after his press conference. In the interview, Gogoi shared his candid thoughts on his political future and on how he plans to battle the BJP juggernaut both in New Delhi and in Dispur. Edited excerpts from the interview follow.
You have spent 18 months behind bars, fighting one case after another. but in the end, you prevailed. How, in your opinion, were these months used by your nemesis the BJP? Are you planning to do something to make up for the time you have lost?
I feel and think that the 18 months that I have spent behind bars have been utilised adequately by the BJP to its advantage. There are three historic episodes or events which occurred during my time in jail. Firstly, the BJP completely tamed the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation, which had been so successful in mobilising people from different strata of Assamese society. Secondly, the BJP came to power in Assam again, in 2021. And thirdly, the BJP amplified all anti-jatiyotabadi (ethnic sub-nationalist) activities. To compensate for those 18 months, we [Raijor Dal] need to fight the fascist force that is the BJP/RSS and its agenda tooth and nail. We need to envision certain things and bring our best to this fight.
You have called both the BJP/RSS and the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) as communal forces. How do you plan to chart a middle course so as to reach out to both the state’s minorities and the majority community?
The BJP is a communal fascist party and the AIUDF is a communal fundamentalist party. It is clear. The first step towards democratisation in Assam would be to overthrow these two political parties. The first and foremost duty would be to remove these two political parties from Assam’s socio-cultural aspects and ingrain or infuse a new liberal democratic political atmosphere. Minorities are bound to go with the AIUDF. This is not because they (the minorities) love the AIUDF. They have no option, and so when we stand as a political party that will be totally and truly secular, democratic and progressive, it will be then that all the minorities will march with us.
Thursday’s verdict acquitting you was historic and has highlighted the importance of an independent judiciary. You are among the activists who have been vocal against the BJP and then were jailed, by being labelled as ‘Maoists’ or ‘Naxals’. Sudha Bharadwaj, Stan Swamy and the others arrested in the Elgar Parishad case are still languishing in jail. What do you have to say to them as you now stand vindicated?
I feel and think that all the allegations against the jailed activists are malicious and false. If we have an independent judiciary, for example, the judiciary in Guwahati, then all the activists will be released. Sadly, because of the weakness of the judiciary in some cases, some of the activists are still behind bars. I would like to make an appeal to all the activists to get some strong legal counsels who are tenacious and sincere so that they can fight it out not just as a legal battle but also as a political battle.
Do you think Thursday’s verdict acquitting you could be used as a precedence in future cases relating to sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)?
I feel, think, and believe that the verdict has set a precedence. The judgment which acquitted me could play an important role in acquitting the other activists who have been put behind bars on similar charges.
First, you were an RTI activist, then a peasant activist, a bête noire for both the Congress and the BJP in the state. Now you are an elected representative. So, who is the real Akhil Gogoi now?
I am the one and only Akhil Gogoi who is an MLA, a politician, an activist, a father, and a husband. A democratic Akhil Gogoi. I am always striving for the consecration and preservation of democratic ideals and principles. This is the same style I have adopted at home. I never try to dominate over my wife or son. There was a recent controversy in Assam because my wife does not put the vermillion mark on her hairline as a mark of a married woman. I have never forced my wife to adopt my surname nor have I asked her to put the sindoor mark. She is an independent person. Every woman should be independent. I feel that my son, my party, my home, and others should remain independent and democratic entities or individuals. My party will maintain the democratic spirit and we will hamper no one. All the members of our party will remain independent. Whether Akhil Gogoi the MLA, father, son, husband, or activist, all roles are equal.
MLA Akhil Gogoi with his wife and son after an NIA court granted 2 day parole to him on humanitarian grounds, in Guwahati, Friday, June 25, 2021. Akhil Gogoi was arrested on December 12, 2019 for his alleged involvement in anti- CAA protest. Photo: PTI
What is your take on the current scenario in Indian politics?
There is an undeclared Emergency in our country. The intensity of the declared Emergency of 1975-77 is not less than the undeclared Emergency that we are witnessing now under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is trying to transform India into an undemocratic, regressive, autocratic, and fascist state. We cannot allow this to happen. So, whether I am incarcerated or shot at, I will always keep on challenging this dream of Modi to convert India into a fascist state. Assam, as of now, is being ruled by a government that is autocratic and undemocratic, and the most corrupt man in Assam is at the helm of affairs.
Would you like to rate Modi’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Modi has completely failed in the handling of the pandemic. The BJP was unable to control or manage the pandemic, it was unable to make any concrete arrangements for the migrant labourers, and it was unable to efficiently manage the vaccination process. These factors have proved that Modi is only good when it comes to speaking and showcasing his oratory skills. I think he is a big zero. He cannot plan and can only order, fails in delivery.
I want to challenge this autocratic regime and it is from Assam that I would like to streamline this agitation against the BJP’s fascist moves. Another aspect that I feel that Modi is a big zero is due to the unplanned lockdown that left India’s economy on tenterhooks. To reverse this economic downward spiral will take at least 50 years. The Modi regime is doing nothing to revive the economy, and instead only taking advantage of the lockdown and the pandemic to concentrate India’s wealth and capital in the hands of a few capitalists and corporates. India’s future generations will never forgive Modi.
Do you have any message for Prime Minister Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as a man acquitted of all charges brought against you?
I think after Thursday’s verdict by the NIA court, Union home minister minister Amit Shah should resign because he and his ministry handled all the NIA and UAPA cases. After this historic verdict from the Guwahati judiciary, I think he should go, along with the director-general of the NIA. The same stands for chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. They should all resign.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses an election campaign rally in support of BJP Candidate from Jagiroad Constituency Pijush Hazarika, at Neli in Morigaon district of Assam, Friday, March 26, 2021. Photo: PTI
Raijor Dal is your brainchild. How do you plan to groom this party?
Within one year, we should strive and work towards streamlining all the branch, booth, district, region, and constituency committees. And after that, the onus will be on strengthening to make it one of the strongest political parties of Assam. This is my mission for one year.
You spoke about making the Sivasagar district, which is your own constituency, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Earlier, attempts both by the Congress and the BJP failed in making either the culturally significant Majuli island or the Charaideo Maidam of Ahom royalty as prospective UNESCO heritage sites. How do you plan to approach it?
Sivasagar was the seat of the Ahom dynasty. But we are not preserving the monuments the way they should be. I will strive to preserve all the archaeological sites, to beautify the places and will try to get it declared a heritage city. First of all, in the coming budget session, on July 13, I have already requested the speaker to allow me to put a proposal that started working on a proposal that Sivasagar should be declared a heritage city. I will proceed step by step on the matter.
About Majuli, the river island should have been studied scientifically to maintain its originality and to develop infrastructure. Nothing of this sort was done. The island’s cultural, geographical, and ethnic uniqueness were all overlooked and previous regimes only wanted to show it as an island. But Sivasagar is different. It can be compared to Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hampi and other cities which are considered heritage cities.
You had taken part in the movement against corruption in Delhi out of which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was born. Now you have a political party too. Will you get in touch with AAP which is also fighting BJP in Delhi?
I will definitely talk to two political parties. One party will be the Trinamool Congress and the other is AAP. Arvind Kejriwal is my friend and so is Manish Sisodia. After talking to them, I will talk to Mamata didi.
Has the Congress’s loss in the recent polls in Assam left a vacuum?
I think the Congress made a historical mistake in Assam by joining hands with the AIUDF. They (the Congress) had a historic chance to overthrow the BJP in Assam. But they committed a blunder and lost.
You have been imprisoned by both the Congress and the BJP. Is there any degree of difference between the two?
The BJP is autocratic, and Congress was undemocratic. When I compare Congress with the BJP, the former is more democratic. It is the lesser of the two evils.
Akhil Gogoi. Photo: Gaurav Das
Sarma, two months ago, explicitly stated in the assembly that you were mentally not sound. Do you plan to take any legal course to challenge what he had said?
Sarma, as a chief minister and a former health minister, should be educated by doctors and by social scientists that nobody can declare a person a mental patient. He behaved like an ignorant person but I have excused him.
What do you have to say to those people, especially local celebrities who had joined the anti-CAA bandwagon during the agitation but months later, abandoned their stand and joined the BJP instead?
I believe that until and unless one does not understand a particular agitation, one should refrain from joining a movement. Without understanding what ideology means or signifies or even aligning to one, then it is futile to join any particular agitation. If someone wants to resonate or reverberate the common peoples’ voices, one should have ideals. If you do not have ideological qualities or traits, then please do not pretend to have such traits.
Courtesy: thewire.in
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Can't think of one other reason: Maneka Gandhi on if writings critical of govt cost son ticket
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): BJP leader Maneka Gandhi on Saturday indicated that her son Varun Gandhi's writings that were sometimes critical of the government may have cost him the party's Lok Sabha ticket from Pilibhit but asserted that he would do very well even without it.
In an exclusive interview with PTI at her residence here, the former Union minister and BJP's Sultanpur candidate also said Varun Gandhi wants to come and campaign for her but a decision on that hasn't been taken yet.
The Sultanpur seat in Uttar Pradesh goes to polls on May 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections. Polling was held in Pilibhit in the first phase on April 19.
On Varun Gandhi being denied a ticket and if she felt bad as a mother, Maneka Gandhi said, "Well I can't say I was delighted but I am sure Varun will do very well even without a ticket."
Asked about calls from Pilibhit that he should have been fielded from there this time also, she said, "Yes, he should have been there but the party has taken a decision and that's it.
On whether in future Varun Gandhi may switch to Sultanpur like earlier or Pilibhit was his 'karmabhoomi' now, Maneka Gandhi said that "at the moment, of course, Pilibhit, and India is his karmabhoomi, let him work all over."
Asked if his writings on certain subjects that were critical of the government cost him the ticket, she said, "I can't think of one other reason."
On whether Varun Gandhi will campaign for her in Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi said he is happy to come and has been asking to come "but we haven't decided on it as yet". "I don't want to put everybody through this," she added.
The eight-time MP also asserted that in her elections she only talks about local issues.
"It is just about work that has been done and work that will be done because that interests people much more than national issues," she told PTI.
On how she is placed this time as compared to the last time when she won by over 14,000 votes, she said, "I have settled in and the election seems to be going well and hopefully we will do much better."
On her late husband Sanjay Gandhi's development works in the region and its towering impact on the minds of the people, she said that "the family is remembered and he is remembered a lot".
Asked about the Ram temple being a dominant theme of the BJP narrative in Uttar Pradesh, she said that in Sultanpur, perhaps, it is less important even though it is next to Ayodhya.
"People are very happy about the Ayodhya temple, (but) it is not part of the narrative of the election. It may be in everybody's heart but it is not part of the spoken narrative," the former Union minister said.
Maneka Gandhi also hit out at Congress leader Sam Pitroda for raking up the inheritance tax issue.
"It was inappropriate of him to raise it. Sitting in America, you can't really sound off if you are a responsible member of your own party. Personally, I am totally against inheritance tax," she said.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claims on the issue of "redistribution of wealth", the BJP leader said, "I think he was just reacting to what Pitroda said."
Talking about the government schemes that have made a difference on the ground, Maneka Gandhi said giving people rations has certainly helped and one of the wonderful things that has happened is people getting "pucca" houses. This has impacted a lot, she said.
Asked about the position of the BJP after three phases of the Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi said she has not done any analysis as she has been working on her own seat which goes to the polls on May 25.
On if the BJP's target of getting more than 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and 370 for itself is realistic, Gandhi said, "It seems to be, otherwise they would not have said it."
On whether she would be a minister again if the NDA returns to power, Maneka Gandhi said, "I have no idea, I am not the one making those decisions."
Asked about any unfulfilled ambitions, she said she has got lots of ambitions but in the animal welfare field.
On the prediction for her seat and the vote margin she is looking at, Maneka Gandhi said, “I don't make predictions. We will win this seat but by how much, I have no idea."
Asked about no member of the Gandhi family fighting from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 25 years, Maneka Gandhi said, "Time moves on."
In 2019, Maneka Gandhi had bagged 4,59,196 votes defeating BSP's Chandra Bhadra Singh who got 4,44,670 votes in Sultanpur.
This time she is contesting against Ram Bhual Nishad of the Samajwadi Party.
The BJP fielded Uttar Pradesh Public Works Minister Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit replacing Varun Gandhi, who has been vocal against his own government several times on the issue of inflation and unemployment.
Denied a ticket from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat, BJP MP Varun Gandhi had also written an emotional letter to the people of his constituency in which he asserted that his relationship with them will remain intact till his last breath.
The Pilibhit seat has remained with Maneka Gandhi or her son since 1996.
Maneka Gandhi won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989, lost in 1991, and won it again in 1996. She won from the constituency in 1998 and 1999 as an Independent candidate. She won the seat in 2004 and 2014 as a BJP candidate. Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate.
