The Sachin Pilot interview: Politics, power, and faith
Sachin Pilot, 47, is one of the few leaders with a mass following who still remains in the Congress. Pilot is a 24/7 politician with an all India brand who worked hard for six years to bring the Congress in to government in Rajasthan and was denied the CM’s job. In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Pilot takes all the hard questions.
.But, read between the lines Pilot’s heart yearns for Rajasthan and leading it. From the Gandhi family, to his defector peer group of Scindia and Prasada to his Hinduism — he recently went to the Mahakumbh for a dip accompanying by his mother Rama Pilot.
. Here is Pilot unplugged.You belong to the oldest political party in India which calls itself the natural party of governance yet you seem to have lost your moorings for the past 14 years losing election after election? What do you a mass leader identify as the real problem of the Cong party?.I disagree with the premise of that question that we have ‘lost our moorings’ for the past 14 years. 14 years back — in 2011 — we were in the second year of being re-elected by the people of India. People know the significant structural reforms we brought about during UPA-1 and UPA-2. For example, the most comprehensive relook at India’s corporate laws happened in 2013 when I happened to be the Minister of Corporate Affairs. We brought in the Food Security Act, increased FDI limits in retail, entered into a civil nuclear deal — these are just a select few examples of the broad steps we took in national interest..I think the other flawed premise in the question seems to be the excessive importance to performance in national elections. Let us view this in a broader context — First, in these years Congress has formed governments in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh — these are a few states where Congress has won elections in the last 14-15 years. We are in an alliance government in other states like Jharkhand. These states are spread across the length and breadth of the country which show the people’s confidence in Congress’ leadership. The reasons for Congress’ performance in national elections is a combination of complex factors. But even there, we have performed substantially better in the 2024 general elections where we won close to 100 seats. It is not for nothing that the central government today is held together by a delicate coalition — an outcome necessitated due to the Congress and the broader opposition INDIA alliance’s performance..We have reflected on what we can do going forward. Strengthening the organisational base, ensuring relevant outreach programs within the public, and being a responsible voice for the marginalised inside and outside the parliament are some of the aspects we need to focus on and we are already taking necessary steps in that regard..Does your party under the leadership of the 3 members of the Gandhi family simply not gave what it takes to take on the Modi juggernaut?.I am afraid that is a pretty myopic view of the nation’s politics over the last decade or so. In fact, if you want to examine the BJP’s juggernaut, analyse their performance and look at the shrinking regional influence of the BJP post 2014. They are currently not in power in any state in the southern parts of India. Most of their chief ministers in the north-east are former Congress leaders. They have lost elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar — an area they consider their stronghold. Speaking of strongholds, even in Gujarat, in 2017, Congress secured 77 seats. Currently, Congress has the highest number of Members of Parliament (MP) from Maharashtra. The INDIA alliance cumulatively has 30/47 MPs there. The INDIA alliance has 43 MPs whereas the BJP led NDA has 36 MPs in Uttar Pradesh — India’s largest state. BJP has failed to make a dent in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana..Second, I believe that overleveraging the importance of election results to ascertain the relevance of a politician/political party is doing a disservice to the nation. Rahul Gandhi, who is now the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament, took it upon himself to walk the length of the country in order to give a message of unity and solidarity. During the 4,500km Bharat Jodo Yatra, he raised awareness and sensitised people about relevant social and political issues. Priyanka Gandhi has been at the forefront of every incident that has shaken the conscience of our country and mobilised ground support against political excesses by the BJP government..I think the Congress party leadership has set a very high standard for the right approach in politics — I do not think it is fair to undermine it simply because of an oversimplification of election results..Modi had his majority reduced in his third term needed the support of allies yet post that the Congress lost Maharashtra, Haryana — states considered to be sure shot winners. What went wrong?.In both these states we performed extremely well during the Lok Sabha elections. We won 5/10 seats in Haryana and the INDIA alliance won 30/47 seats in Maharashtra. I think somewhere our political and organisational structures have not been able to sustain that sentiment into the state elections. I think each election in India gives rise to a very specific and complicated set of issues. We must do a better job as a party to understand them and take necessary action. .Now for the third time you have lost Delhi what is the problem that is making the Cong lose election after election?.The results in Delhi have been very disappointing. We have not done well in national or state elections there for a long time now. However, this time, we saw our vote share increase and I think a nuanced analysis will demonstrate that we have begun an upward trajectory in terms of the number of votes we polled. However, I do not think that the party will remain satisfied with that. Delhi is a cultural melting pot — a microcosm of the country. I think we will have to undertake a comprehensive review of the results and take action to introduce energy into the cadre and the organisational leaders. In the past, we have been elected by Delhi’s people for three consecutive terms and even in the recently concluded elections, there was a massive sentiment reminiscing about Congress’ leadership — I think that is an opportunity we need to capitalise on and show an alternative model of development for Delhi..Your peer group and colleagues like Scindia, Prasada, R P N Singh and Milind Deora have defected to the BJP. What makes you the last man standing in the Congress?.I cannot comment on someone else’s decision but insofar as I am concerned, I think I have been given a lot of opportunity within the Congress party, and I feel that it is my responsibility to pay it forward. I was an MP at an age of 26, a central minister soon thereafter, the party’s state president in Rajasthan, then the Deputy Chief Minister, and now a national General Secretary of the party. For me, this is the time to develop new leadership within the party and give younger people the same opportunity that I have benefited from. I want to ensure we keep grooming good leaders who can sustain this collective movement of nation building and keep alive the politics of conviction and commitment..The opposition keeps saying democracy is in danger in India. How far is it true or is it crying wolf to often? Do you think Modi is part of a world wide trend of strong right wing leaders?.I think this is a very serious discussion that needs to take place at a much broader level. We must start by first agreeing on a definition of ‘democracy.’ Does the mere existence of an electoral process make a country a democracy? Is democracy a binary concept where you are either a democratic country or an undemocratic country? Is democracy a permanent characteristic of any country?.I personally believe that there are elements beyond elections that make a country democratic. I think chief among them is a country’s institutional robustness. Constitutionally, we have developed the concept of separation of powers whereby we envision a separate legislature, executive, and judiciary operating independently of each other. They are supposed to keep a check and balance in the system so that none of the three arms of the state can act unconstitutionally. However, within this constitutional scheme we also have other bodies which we give autonomy to so that they can protect the democratic nature of our country. For example, the Election Commission, the central investigative agencies, the market regulators, the CAG, attorney general, RBI, etc.I think what we have witnessed in the last few years is a gradual decline in the independent functioning of these institutions. I think there have been several occasions where the larger public has expressed a loss of faith in the functioning of these institutions..Is Rahul Gandhi abandoning Congress to save himself?.I believe that as opposed to being a binary concept, you can be a more democratic or a less democratic nation. Hence, if we take our institutions for granted, if we allow concentration of power and wealth in a few hands, we are headed down a dark road which truly threatens the level of democracy in our country. If the public loses faith in institutions, the very foundations of democracy start to come apart..Finally, there is a saying in the judiciary that ‘justice must not only be done, it must also seen to have been done.’ The perception of justice, fairness, and independence is as important as its existence. I think our institutions have been found lacking on both counts in the last few years. I can only hope that with more information and better public debate, we can demand a stronger democracy for ourselves irrespective of which party is in power..BJP’s hard Hindutva push seems to have fazed the Congress. You appeared comfortable with your faith at the Maha Khumb recently. How should the Congress deal with this? Isn’t the Kharge approach antagonistic to you?.Again, the premise of that question is completely incorrect. There is no party or Kharge approach which is antagonistic to me or anyone for that matter attending the Maha Kumbh or undertaking any religious/spiritual activity. If anything, it is in line with the party’s philosophy. I have been proud of my faith and have regularly participated in religious festivals and performed Hindu rituals. I like to keep faith and politics separate and firmly reject the idea that anyone should try to seek political benefit out of religion. We are at a very significant juncture as a country; we need to collectively decide on what issues we will choose our leaders. And I think the media has a role to play here too. I hope that going forward the issues that become important to us as a nation are national security, integrity, education, health, economic development, social justice, and most of all a sense of fraternity in the entire country..Congress doesn’t exist in the north India electoral map except Himachal Pradesh. Does this worry you? How should the party revive in the north?.Yes, Himachal Pradesh is the only state where we have currently formed a government in North India but I direct you back to the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. We secured 8 seats in Rajasthan, 7 in Punjab, 5 in Haryana, 6 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in Bihar, and 2 in Jharkhand. Nearly 1/3rd of the seats we won as a party are from these states. Not for a moment do I think we cannot improve from here, but it is quite an exaggeration to say that the Congress ‘does not exist in north India.’ As I said previously, we as a party have to be in a constant mode of developing new leadership. That leadership finds the enthusiasm to run outreach programmes that masses can connect with. And most of all, I think people look at the opposition as their collective voice against the government’s shortcomings or excesses. We cannot and will not fail them on that..You brought the party into power in Rajasthan and were denied your due. Now you are in the opposition what next?.The idea that something is ‘due’ or owed to you in politics is incorrect. Whatever we do in public life as part of the government or even as part of a political party eventually derives legitimacy from the people. And I think I get more than my due from the people of Rajasthan. I do not need a position to validate my politics. My relationship with the people is such that the question I ask myself is whether I have been able to give back to the people enough in return for the love and respect that I have received over the last 25 years from them..Yes, we are in opposition right now but if you walk the streets of Rajasthan, you will see the problems being faced by the common man. Everything is stuck in a bottle neck, no one knows who is running the government. There is a turf war within the BJP, the government, and the bureaucracy. The ultimate brunt is borne by the people. We will ensure that we keep the government accountable and am quite certain that if things do not change, people will demand a change very soon..When will we see you completely in national politics? Does the recent run of failure worry you?.No, failure does not worry me. Once you spend 25 years in politics, you begin to understand that success is not final, and failure is not fatal. As a party, we were at the forefront of the battle to get independence from the punishing British Raj. I do not think fighting elections is or ever will be a bigger challenge than that. In terms of my involvement, I am currently a national general secretary of the party. I campaigned extensively during the Lok Sabha elections and travelled to help the party wherever there were elections. The party has given me a platform to engage with national issues and I use that to highlight issues which matter to the common man. Going forward, I will continue to help build the party and discharge whatever responsibilities that are given to me to the best of my abilities. And of course, my relationship with Rajasthan and its people will remain forever special..Swati Chaturvedi is an award-winning journalist and author of ‘I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP’s Digital Army’.
Source: Special to Gulf News