Chennai: Former Finance Minister and Congress MP P Chidambaram in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat spoke about CDS appointment, General Rawat, the NRC-NPR link and the leadership vacuum in Congress. He also said that Congress is actively involved in the anti-CAA protest in the national capital.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
'Welcome the appointment of CDS, not in a position to say if Rawat is the best general'
Former Finance and Home Minister P Chidambaram said that he personally supports the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) but remains sceptical on saying Rawat is the best general available.
"I am not in a position to say if the best general available is Mr Rawat. He may be competent. I am not saying he is not competent. But what were the names shortlisted, what were the merits and demerits, I don't know," Chidambaram said.
"CDS will promote inter-services coordination," he added.
'Index of opposition unity important to defeat dominant party'
Speaking on the strategy of taking on the BJP, the Congress said that Opposition needs to stand united to defeat the dominant party in elections.
"If the index of Opposition unity is close to one, the coalition can defeat the dominant party," Chidambaram stated.
'No leadership vacuum in Congress'
"There is a Congress President functioning today and taking decisions. We elected Sonia Gandhi when Rahul Gandhi stepped down. Once Sonia Gandhi decides to step down, we will elect another President," Chidambaram said.
"There have been many presidents outside the Gandhi family. That depends upon what party, rank and file want. Party workers and members decide the Congress president," he added.
'NPR of 2010 was done to aid the 2011 census, NPR of 2020 is NRC in disguise'
Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that National Population Register enrollment exercise carried out in 2010 was done in selective states and did not have a pan-India nature.
"NPR was done to aid the census of 2011. Once the census was completed we stopped the exercise. We did not take it further," he said. He further stated that there was no mention of NRC when the NPR was carried out.
Read: BJP govt has a sinister agenda, NPR dangerous: Chidambaram
"NPR form in 2010 had only 15 fields which were relevant to the census. Today, NPR has 21 fields. Why are they asking the last place of residence, the place of birth of your father and mother, Aadhar number? The context here is different," he said.
"PM, HM and several other ministers have reiterated that this NPR will lead to NRC," he added.
'Congress actively involved in Anti-CAA protest'
On being asked about the lukewarm response by the opposition after the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the sudden upheaval against the legislation following the students protest, Chidambaram said, "The Congress party has consistently opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act and we are involved in agitations, rallies and all-party meetings."
Read: Nationwide protest will continue until CAA is kept in abeyance, NRC abandoned: P Chidambaram
"If the Opposition had united and fielded one candidate, the BJP would have lost many seats," he said taking the example of the recently concluded Jharkhand election.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Indian Parliament earlier this month and became an Act with Presidential assent on December 12.
The legislation provides Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Since the enactment of the CAA, protests have erupted in various parts of India including its national capital.
Read: Chidambaram slams Army Chief General Rawat for remarks on CAA protests
