‘Political will is caught in red tapism’

At the Vidhan Bhavan when the electoral officer announced his victory in the Rajya Sabha, Vijay Darda received a thunderous applause. Cutting across party lines, politicians came forward to shake his hand and exchange greetings. The politician, who happens to be a media baron, has evolved in the Congress culture. Vijay Darda reckons that the future of the country lies in the hands of GenNext. In an interview to DNA, he exudes the confidence of a young Indian attaining great heights under the able leadership of Rahul Gandhi.

You are representing the state in the Rajya Sabha for the fourth term. What are the challenges?  
Leaders of my generation will have to come to terms with young India under the dynamic leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Apart from matters related to the state, we have to mould ourselves to keep up with the pace set by Rahulji in the Indian parliament. High on our agenda is education and health care. But, even more complex are the policy matters diligently pursued by Sonia Gandhi, namely the women’s reservation bill or food security bill which needs to be transformed into reality not only through its passage in parliament but by effective implementation.

Fourth term? How did the miracle happen?
I owe it to the high command Sonia Gandhi. My loyalty and commitment to the organisation ever since I stepped into active politics has paid dividends. I consider Congress my religion. My father (Jawaharlal Darda) stood by Indira Gandhi even in the most difficult times during the Emergency. In the past rivals tried hard to win our confidence with the most lucrative positions. But, neither my father nor I could ever think of life outside Congress.

Did you get offers from the Sena?
In all modesty I would like to state that even Balasaheb Thackeray and Pramod Mahajan in the past offered me tickets for the Rajya Sabha. The late Pramod Mahajan had even talked about me to prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But, Vajpayee who showered good wishes was confident that I would never accept any ticket from his party. In my first tenure as Rajya Sabha (MP) I had preferred to contest as an independent supported by Congress instead of joining hands with Sena-BJP. Notwithstanding my cordial relation with political rivals, I always feel the ideology of the Congress runs in my veins. As RS MP my focus will be to raise issues related to developmental politics.  I don’t believe in running down individuals.

Your key concerns about Maharashtra?
What is worrying me is how to bridge the divide between the rural and urban areas. The gram panchayat in the most backward region of Yavatmal cannot work in isolation and neglect. There should be greater coordination and accountability between the local, state and national leadership. We are still striving for better education and infrastructure. We should make bureaucrats more accountable for the projects.

Does the Centre respond to the state adequately?
Whether it is at state or Centre, as an MP I have had an opportunity to raise the subjects regarding the state through various forums. Whenever I have written letters to various departments at the Centre, there was a response. But, such is not the case at the state level. Even the prime minister’s office replies within 15 days. I think we need to make the state departments more accountable. The chief minister always holds meetings with members of parliament to outline pending issues that need to be taken up with the Centre. The political will is always there but its execution often gets caught in red tapism.