“Maybe after 10-15 years, Rahul may become a mature politician”

“This one-family monopoly must end.”
“Here, they picked some leaders for him because he needed support, which was fine, but later, they became his cronies.”

Tom VardakanA Congress spokesperson believed to be close to Sonia Gandhi recently resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi described Vadakan as “someone with no popular following”.

“What do you do when you don’t have access to leadership?” Vadakkan asked. Rediff websiteof Shoba Warrior.

After resigning from the Congress, you cited the Balakot attack as the reason for your resignation from the party.
Was it the Party’s suspicion of the attack that led you to this decision?

Yes, that’s the reason.

Congress criticized the attack based on Reuters’ assertion that no attack took place in Balakot.

My question was, and I thought it was logical, if there hadn’t been an attack, why did Reuters rush to the scene after the announcement? Clearly, they had BroadCast Unitedligence that there had been an attack.

The second question is, why did the Pakistani government prevent Reuters from going to the scene?

The conclusion is that Reuters is not sure that the Pakistani government has something to hide.

Therefore, circumstantial evidence points to an attack at the Balakot terrorist camp.

I said then and today that it is not in the interest of any political party to cry wolf when national security is violated.

You shouldn’t politicize everything. You see an Indian Air Force personnel with injuries on his face but still asking if there was an attack on a terrorist camp in Pakistan and how many people died. This is not needed.

The point is that the government did it and they had the courage to do it. Let’s separate politics from national security issues.

Have you spoken to congressional leaders about your reservations?

I did talk to a few people who had connections. You see, what do you do when you can’t reach your leader?

If you ask for an appointment, you may get one a year or two later. I mean the top leadership…

Are you referring to Rahul Gandhi?

I don’t want to leave my name. When you make appointments with the top leadership, problems disappear and the government changes.

So I talked to people who were willing to convey my reservations to leadership, but nothing happened.

I defend the party on all issues and am critical of the government.

The spokesperson’s role is to explain and express the party’s views. What you put forward is not your point of view, but the party’s point of view. So, I am doing the work assigned to me.

The difference today is that I can express my views publicly.

Was your withdrawal from the Party the result of many things that happened before?

I don’t consider myself a crowd-based leader or anything like that. I have been an activist and I will continue to be an activist.

There were actually no pressing issues with me leaving, but there were some.

I suddenly found that the department I had worked so hard to build over the past 15 or 20 years was being dismantled. It was painful to see that. It was not that someone in the party was conspiring against me.

There are internal politics everywhere. If you don’t encounter politics in a political office, then you can’t call it a political office.

But my main problem was that I couldn’t keep up this lying behavior. I thought, enough is enough, and decided to quit.

Image: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad welcomes Tom Vardakan to the BJP.

You worked in the Congress for more than two decades and were the spokesperson for the party. You are known to be close to Sonia Gandhi. Was it a painful decision to quit the party from that position?

I do have sleepless nights.I don’t want to talk about my relationship with Sonialucky. It was a relationship that existed and she inspired me at the time.

Her son has arrived now and I haven’t seen much of him.

When I can’t see my leaders, when I don’t know their perspective, I don’t think I need to be there.

I don’t know if I’m here for them. It’s like a lawyer without a client arguing a case that doesn’t exist.

I had a client when Sonialucky over there.

Do you feel marginalised after Rahul Gandhi became the party president?

If I am marginalized, I am sorry to say that the entire party is marginalized. The interface is lost.

When the link to integrate activists or workers into the party fails, all bets are off.

Maybe 10 or 15 years later, he (Rahul Gandhi) may become a mature politician. This is what happens when you get a position because of family connections.

Why is Congress synonymous with a family, as if it belongs to that family?

I’ve asked myself this question many times. The Party Congress is a gathering place to discuss issues. Party leaders gather the strength of the Party and keep the Party united.

But this family monopoly must end. Ultimately, a democracy must be an open home.

Here, they picked some leaders for him because he needed support, which was okay, but then, they became his cronies.

This does not mean that all large trees must be cut down if a new sapling grows.

I’m not saying I’m a big tree, but the fact is all the big trees have been cut down.

This is not only my problem, but also a problem for many senior leaders.

In fact, the sapling must learn to live and grow under the big tree.

His sister Priyanka has been appointed as the top leader. Why is no one in the party questioning this?

Let me answer this question with another question. Do you think any doubters in the Indian National Congress will survive?

He will become a former party member and will no longer join the Congress party. So how do you expect anyone to question it?

I don’t need to say anything more. No member of Congress would remain silent on this issue.

It’s one thing to quit the party, but it’s another thing to have been a party member for so many years. Why did you join the BJP?

I had met Rakesh Sinha, a member of the Rajya Sabha of the Bharatiya Janata Party, in one of the many TV debates I attended.

We used to discuss a lot of things over coffee before the show started. Then he mentioned something that struck me deeply, which was cultural nationalism. Rakesh Sinha is a member of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Patriarch of the Bharatiya Janata Party).

When I read about cultural nationalism, I understood that it was all-encompassing; it had nothing to do with any religion.

It’s more about patriotism, which I think is the most important. It doesn’t matter whether you belong to this party or that party; we have to have that ingredient to stay together.

Patriotism is the greatest cohesion.

The propaganda against the BJP is that it is anti-minority but their desire is to include all minorities.

My message is that if people like me who were once Congress representatives have joined the BJP, then it is time for you to take a fresh look at this party.

That is why I, a Roman Catholic from Kerala, decided to join the BJP.

You have loudly criticized the BJP and the government over the years. Don’t you feel embarrassed to join the party?

You should distinguish between my views and the party’s views. I told (National Chairman of the Bharatiya Janata Party) Amit (Anichandra) Shah said bluntly, I am the spokesperson of a political party and I have been doing my job all these years.

My views as a free man do not represent the views of the Party.I would say I got it free Now.

I am the individual Tom Vadakkan speaking, not the spokesperson Tom Vadakkan.

If you had to speak for the BJP now, would you do the same thing? free?

I don’t have any restrictions. Also, I am not their spokesperson.

My stand is that the BJP is my party now and I have set an example for the minority community by joining the BJP.

Tom Vadakkan, how are you? freenow compare the Congress and the BJP?

I found them (BJP workers and leaders) very friendly. I got to know many workers and leaders.

In fact, I was on stage with (Senior BJP MP from Kerala) Oh, Rajagopal, the day after joining, I got a standing ovation.

When they asked me what they should call me, I said they could call me a PPP worker. So, they announced my name as a BJP worker.

I feel good because I’m not competing with anyone but myself.

According to reports, you tried to contest elections in Thrissur many times but were not allowed to do so. Are you planning to compete in Thrissur now?

See, I gave them a blank check and told them to use me in any way they thought would be useful.

I told them, if you want me to run in the election, I will give it my all. I have not participated in any election so far.

If they want me to campaign in Kerala, I will do so.

If they want me to campaign in the Northeast, I will.

I told them to send me somewhere useful to the party.

In Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party is considered a Hindu party. With Alphons Kannanthanam and you both in the party, do you think the BJP will try to change this image?

I do not come here as a Christian missionary. I am standing on a secular platform.

What do you think the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections will be?

The jury is out. People are BroadCast Unitedligent and they know the truth. They will make a decision based on the facts.

All this false propaganda (by congress) will not help them. Political parties must realize that people are smarter and they know who has achieved their goals and what has been achieved.