Highlights of the Press briefing Held at 1530 Hours 10.05.2014
Shri Abhishek Manu Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Manu Singhvi said as the campaign is closing, it is clear that the BJP’s bubbles are bursting and bursting rapidly all over. It is clear that Modiites is fast being recognized as exaggerationists and imaginationists because BJP is now fast discovering that its estimates and numbers are nothing but gas. It is now finding that the so-called wave is a chimera, its so-called regional supporters are vanishing from the South, from the East, from UP – no secular party or secular mindeed party is prepared to support a Modi-led, a BJP-led NDA. Where then will this imaginative Mission-272 figure come from is only a question which Shri Mungeri Lal can answer? That is why the BJP has become more and more frustrated, more and more aggressive, more and more fearful. In Varanasi a party limited by Modi, Modi Limited Party namely the BJP is a victim of its hype. Hence the intemperate and desperate attack on the Election Commission surely, not surely the sign, surely the sign of a big loser preemptively attacking the umpire and also by fudging facts. It is amusing to see one of the allegations made today by a senior BJP leader. As usual, BJP is master in comparing apples and oranges. He claims that the rally in Beniyabagh was disallowed to the BJP but allowed to the Congress. This is worst that apples and oranges. How can there be a comparison when security perceptions, threat perceptions for different parties arise from different considerations – four out of 5 rallies in the same town are allowed for the BJP. A threat perception for a particular area which is assessed first by the Police based on inputs by the Gujarat police and then evaluated by administration DM etc., how can that be the same for the BJP and the Congress or for that matter any other party?
It is the typical propaganda machine of the BJP trying to confuse and confound and certainly the administration is entitled to look through a divisive polarizing tactic of the BJP in wanting to go to a particular location and spot and conflagrate issues. The result of 16th of May is fast getting reflected in advance. It is getting reflected in the fear and frustration of the BJP, in the increasing shrillness of its attack all because they are trapped as a party within the Prime Ministerial ambitions of one man. They know that they are nowhere near their fake Mission-272. They know that they are nowhere even near the much more moderate figure which a man like Mr. Vajpayee aspired for – whether in 1998 or 1999 and now today to crown it all as campaign ends, they are seeing genuine support, grass root support in Varanasi for Mr. Raul Gandhi – not hired support, not transported support.
On a question whether the spokesperson has become a spokesperson of Election Commission or Congress party, Shri Singhvi said I am the spokesperson for the Congress party who is pointing out in case you have missed that point that the absolutely baseless without foundation allegations made by the BJP against a constitutional authority are further compounded by today’s statement intended to confuse the nation by comparing party ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ regarding a location.
To another question on the statement by Shri Rahul Gandhi that 22,000 people will die, Shri Singhvi said that is a different issue let us not mix up issues. There is no question explaining the context. We have heard about it and there is a notice from the EC You can rest assured that the facts are being torn out of context and wrongly reported but we shall set the record comprehensively straight in our reply which we shall share with you shortly.
On the question of the threat perception, Shri Singhvi said your identity, what you stand for, creates, affects and evaluate the threat perception. We are not living in some kind of an ivory tower in a glass house. We are living in a real world. Have you heard anything something so astoundingly wrong on principle and fact that my threat perception is identical to your perception or identical to her perception, is it possible. We don’t evaluate the threat perception. If you and I start doing it, then the security will be over. Did you ask this question from the BJP in Bihar when they started a mission that there is a threat to the life of their leaders? Is this the same party? This is like telling ‘Head you lose, tail I win’. They will cry if something goes wrong and if any preventive action is taken with regard to the security where it is a three layered security, they also raise hue and cry. This is a typical propaganda machine of the BJP.
On the question of the reaction of the Congress party on another issue the Chief Election Commissioneer has said that Shri Rahul Gandhi did not violate any code by entering the polling booth, now the BJP says Election Commission being bias in the matter that Shri Rahul Gandhi is not an Engineer who will enter the polling booth and check an EVM, Shri Singhvi said as far as the Election Commission bias is concerned, you take it as a given as far as the BJP is concerned. So long as the Election Commission keeps saying BJP is good, right and excellent in everything, Election Commission is not biased otherwise according to the BJP; Election Commission is always biased. Secondly, they don’t realize that they insult institutional constitutional authorities in India which are the envy and pride around the world. Nobody is saying that the Election Commission is infallible but to attack the Election Commission as fault full of fault in very case where there is disagreement shows the mentality of the BJP in respecting the institutions of this country. Secondly, as far as Shri Rahul Gandhi’s EVM is concerned, I do not think in the middle of election, once the EC route in place, BJP has any locus to try to act as an appellate court and tell you why the Election Commission is wrong. If they want, they wait till the elections and challenge in the court of law and I think you will hear nothing after the elections. Thirdly, the stand is very clear that there has to be voting going on and he was inspecting a dud ineffective or non-functional machine. Now that finding of fact is for the Election Commission to go into not the BJP.
To a question whether be it treated that after today’s road show of Shri Rahul Gandhi in Varanasi, the Congress party has escalated to number two position, Shri Singhvi said it is known when did the media put us at number two. The people have put us at number one. Today the distance between number one and two have widened.
To another question on the number 272 Mission of BJP, Shri Singhvi said I did not say that he loses if he does not get 272 I said that 272 is a mission 272 which only lies in the imagination of Mr. Mungeri Lal. As far as the Congress Party is concerned, I am not into figures but I am telling you that the Congress is going to have scintillating victory and the Congress led government will form the government.
On the question of the Shri Chidambaram’s statement to play constructive role, Shri Singhvi said I don’t think Mr. Chidambaram said that. I have read his statement carefully. First of all, we are not here to speculate four days before the results. Let us have patience. Secondly, we do not contemplate the possibility of sitting in the opposition. We are strongly, forcefully confidently on our victory, on our path to victory and we have no such negative thoughts. Hypothetical situations arise lonely after numbers are known. Let us speculate on them till they are known.
