'Is it not a fact that all good leaders in the Congress have left the party?
Padmaja Venugopal, the late Congress leader and former Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran's daughter, joining the Bharatiya Janata Party made the front pages in Kerala.
After making innumerable phone calls, Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier finally spoke to Padmaja when she was on her way to campaign for her new party in Vadakara, a seat her elder brother K Muraleedharan had won in 2019.
Muraleedharan has moved to Thrissur -- Karunakaran's home turf -- where he is taking on he BJP's Suresh Gopi.
The concluding segment of a two-part interview:
- Part 1 of the Interview: 'I Decided Enough Of The Congress!'
Your father first contested in the election as a Congress candidate in 1957. You have also been with the Congress for many years.
Did you feel bad when you had to leave?
My heart broke when I left the organisation. You may remember Achan (father, K Karunakaran) had left the party once. Even then also, I was with the party. But I never uttered a word against Achan or Chettan (elder brother, K Muraleedharan). I also took care of Achan when he was ill. Politics is different from your family.
I did not feel sad at all to leave the leadership, but I was sad leaving the organisation.
Did you discuss your decision to leave the party with your brother?
I had sent a message to Muraliettan. He knew my admiration for Modiji. I used to say if we had a leader like him in our party... I joined the BJP only because I was impressed by the leadership of Modiji.
Your brother said the relationship between you two ended the day you joined the BJP...
My reply to Chettan is, you were the president of three parties! Did I say anything against my brother when he changed parties? No.
My opinion is, you should be able to separate politics from personal life. I don't want to say anything against Chettan.
Will campaign against your brother in Thrissur?
I cannot answer any hypothetical questions.
I can campaign in Thrissur only if the party asks me to. They have so far not asked me to campaign against Chettan.
I have been going to all the constituencies the party has asked me to campaign.
I cannot say what will happen tomorrow.
You said what attracted you to the BJP was Narendra Modi's strong leadership.
Do you think Rahul Gandhi's weak leadership pulled down the Congress?
I don't want to criticise the party I was with till now or anyone I was associated with. I am not that kind of a person.
I was not asking you to criticise Rahul Gandhi. If you were to analyse his leadership...
Is it not a fact that all good leaders in the Congress have left the party?
Can you name one strong leader the Congress has now? If you can, I will respond.
Yes, the Congress suffers from lack of strong leadership.
When I spoke to Ramesh Chennithala recently, he said what the Congress needed was grassroot level rejuvenation...
It is very true. During the elections, you feel there is lack of cadres to work for you. The Congress has become a party of leaders and not workers. It was not so earlier. There were very few leaders and lots of workers.
On the other hand, both the BJP and the LDF (Left Democratic Front) have strong cadres at the grassroot level today. Both the parties are working hard to make the parties stronger at the grassroot level but not the Congress.
During my father's time, all the senior leaders were in touch with the workers. They even knew the names of most of the workers. Today, state Congress leaders are only interested in creating groups and not strengthening the party.
When you said you were leaving the Congress, did any leader contact you?
Everybody called. (Congress General Secretary) K C Venugopal called and asked whether he should connect me to Sonia Gandhi. I told him, it will be difficult to talk now that I have taken a decision. I was not being disrespectful.
When she was the party president, I had met her many times and I used to share all my woes with her. I respect her a lot.
For the last 4-5 years, she has been unwell. So, you don't have anyone in the party where you can share your problems or woes.
Was Sonia Gandhi approachable?
Yes, she was. You were able to meet her any time you wanted. After her, I have not been able to meet anyone.
You haven't met Rahul Gandhi?
No, I have not met him. You don't get an appointment to meet him. Sonia Gandhi was very approachable, and I had a personal rapport with her.
Most of the time when you go to Delhi, Rahul Gandhi will not be there and even if he is there, he will not meet you. This approach is not just towards me, he behaves the same way with other leaders too. You may remember why the present Assam chief minister left the Congress.
The same Rahul Gandhi is meeting the public...
Let me ask you. Should he be walking during election time? At a time when he needs to be taking decisions, he is walking. And where is he walking? In Gujarat! What is he going gain walking in Gujarat?
Let him walk in the areas where it will help the Congress. Otherwise, he sould have done this at least six months before the elections. Not now.
People always prefer a party that has strong leadership. Sonia Gandhi was a strong leader, no doubt.
When she left the field, a stronger person in the form of Modi burst onto the scene. Now, there is no one who can take him on.
Are you happy with the BJP?
I am happy and relaxed. I do not have to tolerate others insulting me.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
