The enfant terrible of the Sangh Parivar is also its most respected spokesperson to articulate ideological issues. KN Govindacharya was the man behind mobilising the Sangh cadre behind Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement that proved to be the beginning of the end of UPA II and a precursor to Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP.
Govindacharya has again joined forces with Hazare to start a popular agitation against the contentious Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
He is also vociferous in his condemnation of the “opportunistic and amoral” alliance between the PDP and the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. In an interview to
That’s right. He should be arrested and tried for treason for his different statements after he took over. The BJP has struck a totally opportunistic and amoral alliance with his party. Mark my words — it will trigger another wave of militancy in the Valley.
Do people in the RSS agree with you? They seem to be unusually quiet…
I don’t speak for the Sangh and I have no idea about whether they are quiet or speaking. As a political observer, I have watched what has happened in Kashmir and it does not bode well.
This is an alliance that defies the mandate. It has dangerous consequences.
Why are you bent on creating trouble for the BJP? You were instrumental in building the party as its general secretary (organisation). Why have you turned against them?
The media should be able to analyse politics beyond the prism of partisanship. What is politics if it does not serve public interest? When I went to meet Anna in Ralegan Siddhi, we did not discuss whether the BJP, Congress or XYZ should be opposed.
We talked about the latest amendments to the Land Acquisition Act and their implications to the farmer. Although they (the government) seem to have paid some heed to the suggestions made by S Gurumurthy, what we are talking about is the big picture.
And the big picture is that in a situation where farmers are already leading a precarious existence, the government cannot push a legislation that threatens to take away their land.
It is bad politics. I heard the Rural Development Minister in Parliament. He says agriculture is not profitable anymore so we need to move away from it. Towards what? Manufacturing? Service industry? What are we talking about? We are not China, that the State owns land and can evict people for whatever purpose it deems necessary. Our Constitution guarantees right to property. How can you take away consent?
Even if the government wanted to encourage industry, it should have done its ground work. Why don’t you target waste land?
The second issue is that of food security. We are disincentivising agriculture. It is not good for the country.
So, now what? Are you going to start an agitation?
I am a nobody. If the government is perceived to be anti-farmer, people will agitate against it. I will join as so many others — like Anna Hazare, Medha Patkar and Aruna Roy — have done. We may disagree on a lot of issues but I do not doubt their commitment to the larger good of Indian people.
What about the government? It also claims it is bringing in a new policy framework for the larger good of the people…
This is a pro-America, pro-rich government. They have no consciousness about what is required to be done. They are making plans for mass urbanisation, tackling the symptoms rather than the disease.
What is this concept of smart cities? Have we calculated how much it will cost and whether it is possible to improve upon what is already existing without spending so much money? Thinking small, being eco-friendly requires a mindset that this government lacks. It needs empathy, towards the poor and the marginal.