[ BS India interviews #SubramanianSwamy after Jayalalithaas conviction ] Dr Subramanian Swamy is the man who first initiated the corruption case against J Jayalalithaa 18 years ago. In an interview with Raghuvir Badrinath at the IIM-Bangalore campus, where the BJP leader is urging students to actively take up cudgels against corruption, Swamy shared his views on the fallout of Jayalalithaa’s conviction: Edited excerpts: After 18 years your move has finally come to see the light? Yes. I am very happy that I am vindicated. I had started this fight against corruption and I am continuing this fight on 2G, National Herald and AirAsia issues. We have prevailed in the 2G issue to a large extent. I am happy that our efforts are bearing fruit and I will continue to fight corruption. I had raised the issue of coal allocations as well, but since I was overloaded with other cases, another BJP member took that issue forward and we are seeing the good news coming out there as well. The legal process has taken 18 years. Isn’t it a disturbing factor? It is, but the times are changing. The 2G issue was wrapped up in three years and we hope other major issues will be wrapped within the next two years. It is more heartening that a sessions court was able to give this kind of judgment against a person who is powerfully positioned. It is a good sign for fighting corruption in India. How do you see this verdict playing out in the political scenario in Tamil Nadu? For a long time, Tamil Nadu has been run by the two parties — DMK and AIADMK. Now with Jayalalithaa’s conviction and the DMK discredited in the 2G scam, there is a clear need for a national party to take control in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a good chance in this vacuum and we need to work actively for the 2016 Assembly elections in the state. I don’t think we should push for early elections in Tamil Nadu as we need to work extensively on the ground, and I am all for two years for preparing that platform in the state. However, the BJP should contest all the seats alone and not align with fringe parties, such as Vaiko’s or Ramdas’s. I had urged Narendra Modi to take up the issue of contesting in Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha elections in all the seats in the state, but was outvoted. However, the time is now pretty ripe for us. Do you feel AIADMK will capitulate after Jayalalithaa’s conviction? It (AIADMK) has been for long a one-woman party, and with today’s (Saturday) development, I am not sure how the party will consolidate in future. I feel that some people may move to other parties and AIADMK may soon be relegated to the sidelines or may wither away. There is a worry that violence would break out as a fallout of this conviction? I am confident of the state and central machinery gearing up to nip any untoward incident in the bud. The home minister should send out a clear message and maintain law and order. Regarding my house being pelted by protesters, it is nothing new. I have faced such situations a number of times and I certainly don’t believe such elements will give up easily. business-standard/article/current-affairs/jayalalithaa-s-conviction-good-sign-of-fighting-corruption-says-swamy-114092700657_1.html
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 18:23:17 +0000
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