Nitish Kumar alone can't make prohibition successful: Akhilesh Kumar Singh

Earlier this month, Congress appointed Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh as its Bihar state president. A former Union Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, Singh is known for his organisational skills. He spoke to DH’s Shemin Joy on Congress’ prospects in the state and the troubles faced by the government led by Nitish Kumar.

Bihar government is facing criticism over hooch tragedy. The BJP wants Nitish Kumar to resign. What is Congress' view point?

We are pained by the incident and we want the government to investigate it sincerely. Last Thursday, BJP’s Sushil Kumar Modi was protesting in Rajya Sabha. If you want to understand the issue comprehensively, Modi was the Deputy Chief Minister in the Nitish Kumar-led government when alcohol prohibition was implemented. Modi himself presented the proposal. When this policy was implemented, we were in the Opposition.

Read | NHRC issues notice to Bihar govt over hooch tragedy

Congress has always been in favour of prohibition. Alcohol was leading to deterioration of health and deaths were occuring due to this. Even a single death due to liquor troubles us. This is not an issue restricted to Bihar alone. What about Gujarat? It has had prohibition for a longer period. There has been a spate of drug recoveries in Gujarat. There are similar incidents in the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh too. Nitish Kumar sincerely wants the prohibition to be successful. He alone cannot make it successful. Administration, social workers etc., should jointly work together to make this successful.

Nitish Kumar’s statement that ‘let those who drink die’ has triggered a controversy. Do you think the government should have handled it in a different way?

I have a slightly different view on this. It is only natural and humane to sympathise with the family. I don't know why he said so. He is not a person to make such comments. He is sincerely making efforts to implement prohibition, but he can't do it alone. Even a single death is painful. There is a need to comprehensively examine the issue and see to it that the prohibition policy is enforced fully.

Some Congress leaders like Legislature Party leader Ajit Sharma have made comments against prohibition. What is Congress' position on this?

There could be various opinions. Everybody has the right to express their views. One should remember that Congress is the party of independence struggle and Mahatma Gandhi led the party. The party’s Constitution clearly says that we are for prohibition.

It seems Nitish Kumar’s image has taken a beating. Do you think he could have handled this better?

Nitish Kumar will be more sad than we all are about this incident. He wants that prohibition is fully implemented. But there was failure in implementation. How to tackle it is something the government has to see.

Nitish Kumar has said that Tejashwi Yadav will lead in the 2025 elections. What is your take?

I have already welcomed it. When we had formed the Mahagathbandhan before Nitish-ji joined it, we had said that Tejashwi should be the leader. We had announced him as Chief Ministerial face then. So, this is nothing new. Nitish Kumar has endorsed it.

Why is Nitish Kumar saying so?

That you have to ask Nitish Kumar. He has announced a decision and he might have thought it out before saying so.

Does it mean the JD(U) is on a decline?

That is not the right way to describe it. Why should JD(U) decline? Now, it is the time for the BJP to decline.

There is a lot of chatter about Nitish Kumar being pitched as a Prime Minister candidate. Do you endorse that?

Nitish Kumar is one of the biggest leaders. So your question is natural and it has been asked for the past 20 years. But this question cannot be answered now. The primary aim of the Congress is to defeat the BJP. Then only the question of the Prime Minister will come. Obviously, Congress will be the biggest party among the Opposition. The Congress High Command will have to decide on this aspect. At present, the question of the Prime Minister is premature. First let all secular parties first get together to defeat BJP. In 2004, who knew that Manmohan Singh would become the Prime Minister? I was also a minister in that government but none of us knew when we were elected as MP that Singh would be the Prime Minister.

Isn't it a disadvantage for the Congress because of JD(U)'s anti-incumbency and allegations of 'jungle raj' against RJD?

It is BJP's narrative to brand Nitish-ji and Lalu-ji as liabilities. When Nitish Kumar was with BJP, they said he was the most honest, Vikas Purush etc. Now suddenly, they find him unacceptable. Similarly, the 'jungle raj' campaign of BJP is completely baseless. These people who you may call liabilities are actually our assets. We will have to accept that the JD(U) and RJD have a big role in Bihar politics. The BJP understands this very well and that is why they make such claims.

Over the years, Congress has abdicated its space to its allies. Why did Congress not encourage leaders from backward classes and Dalits?

If you see the latest inclusions in the ministry, there is no upper caste. Congress has never indulged in caste or communal politics. Circumstances make a leader. Lalu Prasadji became a leader and a particular community supported him as he raised certain issues. If you see Congress' history in Bihar, people from all sections of society were encouraged in the leadership. Durga Prasad Rai, a Yadav, became Chief Minister, Abdul Gaffar also became CM. Bola Prasad Paswan became CM. Upper castes also became Chief Ministers.

You referred to the Chief Ministers before the 1990s. How bad is the Congress situation in Bihar? And What are you going to do?

There is no switch-on, switch-off. I will strengthen the grass-root organisation. You will see leaders emerging from backward, Dalit and minority communities. More youth will get opportunities. We will work together to ensure that Congress regains its preeminent status it enjoyed earlier.

Bihar Congress is starting state-wide Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra later this month. What do you expect from this yatra?

We are planning to start our yatra on December 28, Congress' Foundation Day. We have invited party president Mallikarjun Kharge. But as it is Foundation Day, there may be some change. Anyways, we will start the 1,200 km yatra. The yatra will reveal to you who are the emerging leaders, who has what potential etc. We will identify leaders and then groom them.

You were part of the group of 23 leaders who wrote to then Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressing concerns over the way the party was functioning. You have now been appointed as Bihar Congress president. Has the Congress strengthened now?

We raised some concerns. We were not rebels. We were reformists. After Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress is in a stronger position. I had been part of the yatra in Rajasthan. Youth, women were participating in huge numbers. Rahul-ji is attracting the attention of people and Congress is being benefitted. We wanted Congress to be strengthened, election to the party president happened. Kharge is meeting workers, he is visible. What Rahul-ji is doing is historic. We got results too. In Himachal Pradesh, we won. Media may be projecting that the BJP had some huge win but the fact is that it lost elections in two states and won only one.