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BJP is not an untouchable, says Bajaj

Well-known industrialist Rahul Bajaj said the Bharatiya Janata Party governments in all the states were doing an excellent job and that India needed a single-party government at the Centre rather than a coalition of 14 parties. Rahul Bajaj is chairman of Bajaj Auto, India's leading manufacturer of scooters and three-wheelers.

The former Confederation of Indian Industries president also said that Sharad Pawar would find it difficult to win an election from Baramati, Pawar's hometown and constituency, in the next election as his influence in Maharashtra has decreased a lot. The well-known and outspoken industrialist expressed his views openly about status of Indian politics and economy during the course of an interview for the popular Rubaru programme on EL TV, which will be telecast on Sunday at 2130 hours IST.

The well-known industrialist claimed that Prime Minister I K Gujral had told him during a private conversation that he (Gujral) was against recommending President's rule in Uttar Pradesh as it was unconstitutional, but had to yield to his colleagues' pressure. According to Bajaj, the prime minister might have recommend President's rule under pressure from people like (Congress President) Sitaram Kesri and (Defence Minister) Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Bajaj said he firmly believed that the Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme to disclose unaccounted wealth, launched by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, would fail as people would not disclose their black money easily. "These types of schemes only reward the tax-evaders while mad people like us pay 100 per cent income and wealth tax on our income," he said.

Bajaj said that he wanted a stable government of any single party at the Centre and was not averse to the idea of a BJP government. "The BJP may be an untouchable for others, but not for people like us. Any stable government of a single party is always better than a coalition of 14 parties," he said, adding, "In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena-BJP government is doing a good job because of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi."

He said that some political parties had offered him a Rajya Sabha ticket but he declined the same as the Rajya Sabha is not a place to work. He said those who had lost Lok Sabha elections, including industrialists like K K Birla, Naval Tata, and Jayant Malhoutra, have entered Parliament thought the Rajya Sabha.

Asked why he did not contest the Lok Sabha election from Wardha with the help of his friend Sharad Pawar, Bajaj replied that today, Pawar, the former defence minister and Maharashtra chief minister, would be unable to get anyone elected from Wardha. He added that Pawar would not be able to help even in Baramati, the Congress leader's hometown and constituency. Bajaj said his position has weakened in Baramati and the Congress loss in the municipal elections was the proof.

The Bajaj Auto chairman said that though his father had been a member of Parliament from Wardha for three terms on a Congress ticket, he was not keen to join politics.

Rahul Bajaj claimed that most industrial houses were funding political parties, and 95 per cent of it is black money. Bajaj said that he always paid by cheque and the amount can be ascertained from Kesri who was aware of it. The former CII president felt that political funding could not be stopped, but added that the government should think of creating a fund for election expenses.

Bajaj said that admired P Chidambaram, but felt the latter's policies were not correct as far as multinational corporations are concerned.