Modi a unique mix of honesty, hardwork and intelligence: Cho Cho S. Ramaswamy, considered by some as maverick, is a man who talks straight from his heart. When he speaks people tend to listen. In a freewheeling interview with GGN correspondent Siddharth B Iyer, the journalist, lawyer, actor and editor of the Tamil satirical fortnightly magazine, Thuglak, Ramaswamy, speaks on various issues including the forthcoming elections, and the controversial Telangana issue that has agitated the people of Andhra Pradesh. The former Rajya Sabha member is confident that Narendra Modi will be India’s next Prime Minister. Excerpts: Q — BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is committed to a Congress-free India. Are we standing on the threshold of change? A— I think Modi is right there. The Congress is going to lose badly in the upcoming elections. There is not a single state in which Congress is strong, from north to south, except in Karnataka. In Andhra Pradesh it is Jagan Mohan Reddy; in Kerala it has reached its dead end in to further improve its seat tally; in UP picture is confusing; Bihar could go with Nitish Kumar and Congress could benefit by its association with him and perhaps get Dalit support. So if you go state by state the overall picture for the Congress is gloomy as it stands no chance of coming back to power. Q— Do you think the NaMo magic will work in the upcoming five state elections? A— Yes I think so. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi will certainly go to the BJP as Modi’s magic will work in these states. Q— Modi wants a strong India and looks to be a unifying force. But there is contradiction as he is supporting division of Andhra Pradesh for a new state of Telangana. Do you think it is right for the BJP to support disintegration of Andhra? A— See, Andhra is one of the strong states for the BJP and it will be enough if they fare well in Seemandhara and Rayalaseema. And supporting the Andhra division has been the BJP’s stance for some time. I am one of those who have advocated the separation of Telangana. Telangana was mainly ruled by Nizam and it was later joined with Andhra Pradesh because of Potti Sreeramulu who went on an indefinite fast resulting in his death. When Andhra Pradesh was born Telangana was not a part of it and it was later joined under certain understanding. So BJP is correct in supporting Andhra division. Q— Do you think the separation of Telangana will be the right thing to do? A— I’ve been of the opinion that the separation of Telangana will be the right thing to do. And there is nothing wrong with smaller states. Consider the record of three states carved out of larger ones in 2000 – Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. And I don’t see Telangana as separation but division of a state on linguistic basis. Q— During Independence Sardar Patel was a unifying force. Do you think Modi a present day Sardar? A— Well I won’t try to compare anybody with anybody. Modi is a man of great determination, integrity and proven administrative skills. He is very capable and hardworking. When he says something the people believe him as he has already delivered in Gujarat. He inspires the youth and such a man of integrity should be saluted. He is a unique combination of both honesty, hardwork and intelligence which is rarely seen in today’s political class. He is a charismatic leader and masses look to him for deliverance. And such a leader will definitely take the country to great heights. Q— How do you see the things shaping up in 2014? A— I think the BJP will perform well and form the next government at the Centre with its alliance partners. Q— What are your expectations from Modi if he becomes the prime minister? A— In today’s tough times Modi will stand firmly against Pakistan and China. Of course his focus would be on to go for industrial development and pay attention to infrastructure and power generation bottlenecks, mainstay of any economy. He needs to work tirelessly to eradicate poverty. And finally, he can take care of deteriorating law and order machinery in the country. Q— Modi, for the first time, voiced his concern for the PM when Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif reportedly called Manmohan Singh a ‘Dehati Aurat’. How do you view this political drama? A— Manmohan Singh is definitely a weak prime minister. He is incapable of delivering anything now. But when others speak foul about him we as Indians need to stand up to the post of prime minister coming under ridicule. It is like disagreeing with some elders in your family, but when your neighbours start criticizing your family members then you do feel enraged. And this is what Modi felt as patriotic Indian. Q—Do you think if Modi becomes PM then the relations between India and Pakistan would improve? Will Pakistan feel threatened at the same time? A—The bilateral relations will improve because Modi can infuse a sense of fear within Pakistan that India can’t be taken for granted anymore. Pakistan will, therefore, become alert and stop playing games with our army and stop intruding on our land. It will understand that there’s now a Laxman rekha which can’t be crossed. And that will be good for the two countries. Q— Will Modi engage in serious talks with Pakistan without going in for candy-floss diplomacy? A— He would be diplomatic when required but diplomacy doesn’t mean cowardliness. In the name of diplomacy he won’t be playing to the gallery as the present dispensation does. Q— It is evidently seen that you are in awe of Modi. What makes you a Modi fan? A— I have already described his qualities. In 2009 I wrote in my journal (Thuglak) and even spoke in our annual general meeting that Modi should be nominated for the prime ministership by the BJP. From then on I have been insisting on it because it is my belief that he will be the man who will be the answer to many of our problems. Congress chants ‘No Modi-No Modi’. So the question arises ‘Why not Modi-Why not Modi?’
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 08:32:43 +0000
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