‘Non-governance is main issue’

What are the main issues that the Congress will rake up in the forthcoming Gujarat elections?

The BJP has not provided any governance in its five years of rule in Gujarat. It promised 14 hours of uninterrupted power supply as well as drinking water in Saurashtra. Instead, it has betrayed Saurashtra by providing Narmada water for just a few days. Non-governance (by the BJP) will be the main issue. Delay in rehabilitation of earthquake victims and social insecurity caused by polarisation will be others.

You had only 53 seats in 1998. What do you expect this time?

We started with 53 seats but by 2001, we had 61 seats, of which three were wrested from the BJP in by-elections. Don’t forget that we swept the civic and local self-government polls also. There is a strong anti-incumbency mood that we will benefit from.

There is dissent in the Congress. Some people have also turned against you for ensuring your son got a ticket. Isn’t all this going to affect the party?

First of all, I did not decide on the candidates. They were selected from a list given to the central high command. I had no role to play in it. My son, Mahendrasinh Vaghela, got the ticket not because of me but because he has been sincerely working in the Sami-Harij area among the socially and economically weaker sections. About factionalism in the party, yes, it is a worrying sign. We cannot give tickets to all, there are only 182 seats. I feel it is a spontaneous reaction which will pass as election approaches. Unfortunately some have rebelled and are contesting as Independents. We will take appropriate action against them.

The Congress has still not projected a chief ministerial candidate.

Elected MLAs will elect their leader and the central high command will also decide who will be chief minister in case we come to power. At the moment, there is no reason to project anybody as our chief ministerial candidate. Every Congress leader is doing his job in his area because this time we want to defeat the BJP.