Former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily on Wednesday expressed optimism of the Congress party returning to power at the Centre after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim in a recent interview that there is no competitor to the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Moily told reporters participating in a ‘Meet the Press’ programme organised by Mysuru District Journalists’ Association (MDJA) here that the BJP leadership’s ‘arrogant’ statement smacks of a ‘dictatorial’ attitude.
“It means they have reached the pinnacle of their dictatorial attitude”, said Mr. Moily predicting that the party’s popularity can now only plummet. “It has to come down and it will come down”, he said claiming that the downfall of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Amit Shah’s popularity had started.
“It won’t be a surprise if the Congress party is back in power after the Lok Sabha polls”, Mr. Moily said.
To another question, he said the Congress party’s popularity had increased after the Bharat Jodo Yatra undertaken by the party leader Rahul Gandhi. Also, the party will be formulating a plan of action against the BJP’s policies at the next session of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) scheduled to be at Raipur shortly.
Also, Mr. Moily described as ‘alarming’ the outcome of a survey carried out by Pew Research Centre that had showed more than 50 per cent of the respondents preferring military rule in India. “The present rule in the country is responsible for such a view from the people”, he said.
Claiming that such sentiments were “dangerous to democracy”, Mr. Moily said the Congress will take all necessary steps to counter the same.
Collegium
Mr Moily also criticised the Union Minister for Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju for his public statements against the collegium system, which amounts to questioning the law of the land.
Though the system needs a change, Mr Moily recalled that the previous government under Manmohan Singh had proposed a law on the changes. However, the consensus between the judiciary and the executive over the changes to the system was lost after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government tampered with it, leading to Supreme Court rejecting the changes
The Supreme Court’s decision on the collegium system cannot be publicly questioned by the Union Minister, Mr. Moily said while adding that the changes to the system, during the Congress-led regime, had been proposed after a national consultation of experts comprising sitting and former judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, besides legal experts.
Uniform civil code
With regard to questions on Uniform Civil Code, Mr Moily, who had served as a Law Minister in the Union Government, said it had been a subject of debate ever since the country attainted Independence. “But, it is not easy. There is a need to build a national consensus on it”, he said.
Pointing out that it was not just a Hindu-Muslim issue, Mr Moily said practices and systems differed from not just one community to another, but also from one district to another. For instance, Mr. Moily pointed out that matriarchal system was in vogue in Dakshina Kannada district.
Different communities and different tribes have their own personal laws. “Hence, a national consensus is needed”, he said.
Criticises Bommai
While claiming that former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa “abused power and went to jail”, Mr. Moily said the incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was a “man of inaction, who lacked courage”.
Mr. Moily said the present BJP government in the State was a “big burden on the State exchequer”.
The government was breathing only through the paid advertisement issued on a daily basis in the newspapers carrying the photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Bommai himself, he said adding that the “paid advertisements” were the oxygen for the BJP government in the State.
Expressing confidence that the Congress will come to power with a clear majority in the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka, Mr. Moily said the issues before the people were development, social justice and clean administration.
To a question, he said the issues before the BJP may be “Savarkar, Tipu and Hijab”, but the Congress will strive to fight elections on the agenda of development, social justice and clean administration.
He ruled out the possibility of aligning with the JD(S) and referred to the humiliating rout of the Congress in the last Lok Sabha elections when it contested the polls in alliance with the party in Karnataka.
Also, Mr. Moily defended the Congress party’s promise to provide ₹2,000 per month to each woman running a household. “They are finding it difficult to bear the household expenses. The cost of an LPG cylinder is now more than ₹1,000. The prices of other essential commodities too have skyrocketed. The salaries are not increasing. Employment avenues have dwindled”, he said.
“We can stop paying when the prices of essential commodities come down. But, right now, it is very difficult for them to run a household by bearing the expenditure”, he lamented.
