Jaya makes a dramatic offer to Congress - 1

11 Nov 2010, 1310 hrs IST

AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa speaks exclusively to TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief and makes a dramatic offer to the Congress by guaranteeing support of 18 MPs once they take action against 2G Spectrum scam embroiled Telecom Minister A Raja. The message from former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister indicated that the UPA government should not worry about DMK withdrawing support at the Centre if A Raja is dismissed, because her party is ready to offer her the numbers. Excerpts from the interview: Arnab Goswami: You have consistently raised the issue of A Raja and the 2G Spectrum scam. After the CAG report's findings have now come up in the public arena and with the opposition demanding immediate resignation of A Raja, where do you think the scam is headed to? Jayalalithaa: As soon as the scam broke, which was more than two years ago, I was among one of the first leaders rather in the country to raise this issue in a big way. Over the past two-and-half years, I have been consistently issuing statements on the spectrum scam and the need to take action against the Union Telecommunications Minister Mr. A Raja and make him accountable for the great loss he has caused to the nation. There is nothing new in what I am saying today. Today, matters have reached such a stage that practically everyone in the country is talking about the spectrum scam. In the beginning, when the news first broke, most people did not understand what it was all about and it took sometime to make people understand the implications and the enormity of the corruption indulged in by Mr. Raja and the magnitude of the loss caused to the nation. But gradually the news began to percolate down to the market and today even a child will be able to speak about this scam. Even the common man in the street knows about the spectrum scam and it is not just me, not just political leaders, not just the media, but practically everyone in the country is asking why Raja has still not been dismissed from the Union Council of Ministers? Everyone is asking the same questions as to why the central government more particularly the prime minister has not been able to dismiss Raja and make him face prosecution for the crime against the nation. Arnab Goswami: Why do you think Mr. A Raja has got such a long rope? Jayalalithaa: The reason is very simple and obvious. It is coalition politics. Now to put it very plainly and bluntly, it is obvious that the Congress which heads the UPA coalition government at the Centre feels that any precipitated action against Raja will result in the DMK withdrawing its support to the union coalition government and the Congress obviously fears that its fragile coalition will collapse and this will lead to a mid-term poll. But things have reached at such a stage today where the clamour for action against Raja has reached the crescendo that further inaction or delay in taking action against him would permanently damage the credibility of the Congress and put a very big question mark on its future. Now, as a political leader I would like to say this, where the Congress is concerned, where there is a will there is a way. If the Congress is able to summon up the political will to act against Mr. Raja, I can show the way to the Congress so that the coalition does not collapse and the nation does not have to face another mid-term polls. Arnab Gosawmi: Are you saying that if the Congress Party takes action against Mr. A Raja and there are political consequences to that, then the AIADMK will consider supporting the party and UPA government at the Centre? Jayalalithaa: I am saying this on the presumption and the common perception that the hesitation of the Congress in taking action against Mr. Raja is because they fear that the coalition government will collapse. As I have said earlier there is no point in expecting Mr. Raja to resign on this own. He will not do that and there is no point in expecting the DMK leader Mr. Karunanidhi to step down. He will never do that. So what is the alternative. If the Congress wants to save its credibility from further erosion, the Congress has to act swiftly to dismiss Raja from the union cabinet and what is holding the Congress back from doing it? Since the whole nation is aware of the corruption indulged by Mr. Raja, surely the Congress leadership knows very well what Mr. Raja has done. Every constitutional authority from the CAG to the SC has commended in dealing on the massive scam cause by Mr. Raja. So what is still holding back the Congress when it is facing embarrassment at the Parliament? Every time there is a session of the Parliament the same demand is repeated by all the opposition parties – dismiss Raja and take action against Raja. Today a stage has been reached where the Congress can no longer afford to ignore this demand. So what is holding the Congress back? – the fear that the coalition government might collapse. So based on that presumption, what I am saying is that the DMK has 18 MPs at the Lok Sabha. The Congress does not wish to lose the support of those 18 MPs. But now the DMK’s position has become untenable. Raja’s position has become untenable. If the Congress wishes to avoid going in for a mid-term polls, the numbers have to be made up. We have 9 MPs in the Lok Sabha and between them other friendly parties have enough MPs to make up the 18 with one or two to spare. Arnab Goswami: Will you seek any condition for your party MP's giving support to the Congress? Jayalalithaa: That would be premature. There will be no conditions from my side. All I am interested in is seeing that probity is restored to public life. All that I am interested in seeing is that the perpetrator of such a massive scam is not allowed to go scot free simply because of the compulsion of coalition politics. Just imagine, the CAG has mentioned that Raja has caused a loss of Rs 176.379 crore to the nation. This is a mind-boggling figure. The common man would be hard put to figure out how many zeroes you have to add after this number. So this is a scam of a magnitude never before witnessed in this country. Perhaps unprecedented in the annuls of world history and it has now been revealed that Raja willfully disregarded the advice of the prime minister and the law minister, finance minister and just went ahead with what he felt right. So, is her going to allowed to get away with it? He should not be allowed to get away with it. He should be dismissed from the union cabinet and made to face prosecution. As citizen of the country, I am interested in seeing that the guilty are punished. That is all. There are no conditions from my side. I would also like to add that if a mid-term poll becomes inevitable, my party is prepared to face it anytime. Arnab Goswami: Who are these other like minded parties who will be actually willing to support the UPA? Jayalalithaa: I do not think it would be appropriate to mention their names now. But rest assured I do not make idle claims. When I say I have 18 MPs ready to replace the 18 MPs of the DMK, I mean what I am saying.