India's National Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU

Vol. 16 :: No. 05 :: Feb. 27 - Mar. 12, 1999

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COVER STORY

'The people of Bihar are relieved'

Interview with K.N. Govindacharya.

K.N. Govindacharya is one of the six all-India general secretaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In a recent organisational reshuffle, party president Kushabhau Thakre reassigned him the charge of the party's affairs in Rajasthan instead of Bihar affairs. He will coordinate between the BJP and the other constituents of the Sangh Parivar, besides being in charge of training programmes for party workers. Govindacharya has been seen as a supporter of L.K. Advani in the party. In this interview to V. Venkatesan, he articulates the party's views on the Bihar developments and also speaks of the tensions in the Sangh Parivar and the BJP-led coalition. Excerpts:

How do you justify the imposition of President's Rule in Bihar?

It was long overdue. However, it was better late than never. The people of Bihar are relieved. It is not merely the number of people killed in the State that mattered. The basic fact is that the people at the helm of affairs were protecting criminals, obstructing the (law-enforcement) machinery; even MLAs and ex-Ministers were getting killed. The wife of a slain MLA was accusing people in power of being the culprits behind the heinous crime. Many times people in the ruling party were accused of complicity in kidnappings and the extortion industry, which made the law and order situation in Bihar classically different from that in other States. Similarly, the situation of anarchy in the handling of the finances of the State amounted to constitutional breakdown.

The situation in Bihar cannot be compared to that in any other State. It is unfortunate that the so-called progressive parties like the CPI(M) also have always shown double standards with regard to Bihar. They have shed all pretence of conviction and are themselves engaged in the politics of convenience and negativism. The Congress(I) has never posed as a party that considered ethics and conviction essential in politics.

We have never said that President's Rule is the panacea for all the ills of Bihar. It can initiate a process of putting an end to the steady decline in the state of affairs in Bihar and it may check the sense of despair felt by the people. It may mark the beginning of a resumption of the democratic political process in the State. Perhaps the RJD, if at all it comes to power after the elections, may be chastened. But whether it will come to power is a big question mark.

What is your view about the performance of Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari? Can he ensure a neutral administration?

If you take his performance as Governor, no detractor or opponent can cite a single step or decision of his which smacks of partisan attitude. The way he performed the difficult task of improving the field of education speaks of his ability and administrative capability too - be it the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor or a Registrar or the execution of work as per the academic calendar. Definitely, Bihar has responded to his effort. I don't think Advani was unjust to him. He has clarified his statement, saying that he did not intend to cause any misunderstanding.

How did the Ranvir Sena originate? It is alleged that the Sena consists of BJP and Samata Party supporters.

A. ROY CHOWDHRY

No way. There is not even the remotest linkage. Even our detractors have not been able to substantiate this allegation. The origin of the Sena can be traced to the failure of the State to fulfil its basic obligation of ensuring the safety of life and the liberty of people to pursue happiness in a legitimate democratic manner.

Do you not agree that the members of the Sena are drawn from sections that form your support base in Bihar, namely, the upper-caste Bhumihars and Kurmis?

Vote patterns are not based on mere caste configurations. It is a holistic phenomenon. Vote patterns get altered often as per the political attitudes of these castes. Caste has played an important role since pre-Independence days in the politics of Bihar, and this continues even today. Bhumihars, if their overall voting behaviour is evaluated, have never supported a single political party as a bloc - be it the Congress(I), the Communist parties, or the BJP and the Samata. Region-wise, and constituency-wise, it (the community) has shown different tendencies in the elections.

The Sena owes its genesis to justified and unjustified reasons. If you look at the landholding patterns in Bhojpur district, there are no kulaks - the landholdings are very small. On the economic front, it is not a battle between kulaks and landless labourers; on the social front, the remnants of feudalism at the socio-psychological level are an additional factor. The economic aspect definitely and relatively assumes more importance with respect to the spread of naxalism in the Gaya division. Failure to carry out land reforms is one factor, but not a decisive one. In Bhojpur, for instance, landowners feel that the State is not doing enough for them. Sheer desperation has led to the formation of the Sena.

To fulfil its destined role, the BJP has to encompass all the sections. Every organisation will have some emphasis on caste at the initial stage. Unlike other parties, we have always adopted the policy of addition, and not substitution.

As the BJP's general secretary in charge of its relations with the RSS, how do you look at the recent tensions between the two organisations?

The RSS has nothing to do with the functioning of the BJP or of the Government. It does not interfere.

How will you tackle Madan Lal Khurana who has alleged gross interference by the RSS in the affairs of the BJP?

Khuranaji's utterances don't emanate from facts but are mostly fraught with subjectivity. Therefore, the party treats the Khurana chapter as closed.

But he has threatened to bare it all in Parliament.

That is his freedom.