Bangalore, Oct 28 : ``POLITICAL retirement does not mean running away from politics,'' senior Janata Dal (U) leader Ramakrishna Hegde said, clarifying reports about his political sanyas, even as he indicated of an imminent retirement in two years time from active politics.Talking to The Indian Express, Hegde said he will begin the exercise of building the JD(U) from grassroot level in the state from November. When asked if it was right to comment on rejuvenation of the party while talking about retirement, the former chief minister clarified: ``But I am not shying away from active public life.''``All political parties have given a go by to ideologies. Values are a casualty. It is disheartening.,'' Hegde said replying to the queries about his retirement. ``I cannot undertake tours as I did in the past. I am getting old. Besides, in today's politics it is difficult even to identify the responsibilities of party workers. In this kind of an atmosphere, I sometimes feel that people like us have no work to do. Nevertheless, I am not all that pessimistic. I will start the tour from November itself,''he said.Hegde said he believed that his tour may result in party cadres being revived, and if necessary, preparing them for a campaign. Replying to why the initiation of a campaign was necessary, he said local issues like bad roads, quality of administration had to be taken care of. ``No one does politics by taking up this kind of issues. But, if we do politics by taking up issues which are dear to the hearts of people, that will earn us support,''Hegde, who has plans of undertaking four-day tours in different parts of Karantaka, said.Hegde felt that the Congress and the BJP will lead the fights at national level. ``The Congress is in a sorry state. It has to become stronger in the interest of the country. Vajpayee Government faces no threats as of now. But rumours about the condition of post-Vajpayee NDA are wholly unnecessary now.''
