At 48 Varsha Gaikwad is not only the youngest president of the Mumbai unit of the Congress, but she is also the first woman to head the organisation.
In an exclusive interview to the FPJ on Wednesday she fielded a range of questions about city politics.
Your elevation as the Mumbai Congress president is being viewed as an example of dynastic politics since your father the late Eknath Gaikwad was also a MLA, MP, party office-bearer and minister. Please comment.
It is true that I benefited politically from being the daughter of Mr Gaikwad. But, only to a certain extent. Whatever I am today is also because of the tremendous work that I had put in over the past several years. I started my political career as a grassroot worker of the Congress. I was an office-bearer of the Youth Congress, the parent organisation and AICC secretary in charge of Gujarat, MP and UP. In UP I campaigned for the party over a distance of 10,000 kms. During the assembly polls in Gujarat, in 24 of the 48 seats where I worked, the party won. Similar was the case in Madhya Pradesh and more recently in Karnataka. I also took part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I belong to a family which has Congress in its blood. So, one cannot legitimately accuse me of playing dynastic politics.
The Mumbai Congress is notorious for factionalism. When you took charge as president, the occasion was boycotted by those belonging to the Gurudas Kamat camp. How do you plan to lead such a divided party?
The event was attended by several ex-ministers like Suresh Shetty, three former chief ministers - Sushilkumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan. I personally went to the homes of all the senior leaders to invite them. I don't believe in factional politics. My effort will be to take all sections along with me.
The upcoming BMC elections will be the biggest challenge you will be facing. Will the Congress go it alone or in tandem with the other partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi viz the NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT)?
It is too early to say anything. This is a policy matter which will be decided by the central leadership of the Congress; but I have already started making preparations for the poll. The aspirations of the cadres are tied closely with civic elections and hence, I am encouraging them to meet citizens to prepare the ground. Let us not forget that we were once a dominant force in the metropolis with as many as six MPs and a large number of MLAs. We have a rich experience of fighting elections which we will put to good use. Independent of whether we contest alone or as MVA, my effort will be to get maximum number of corporators elected on my party ticket.
The Shiv Sena has been in power in the BMC for over two decades and that is the period when it was accused of maximum corruption. How can you appeal for votes from the people as an ally of the Shiv Sena?
Our focus will be on issues relating to the development of Mumbai as a city in such a way that it benefits all sections of society. The thrust of my campaign will be to improve the transport system and reduce traffic jams which have become a huge issue. Air pollution is another major issue. We are the second most polluted city in the world. We want to change that. The third issue will be that of toilet facilities, especially for women. Today women have very few public toilets and even the existing ones are dirty. Today hundreds of crores of tax-payers' money are being wasted in the name of beautifying Mumbai, but the city is losing its green cover. In Aarey colony alone hundreds of trees have been cut. We will change all that.
After the split in the Shiv Sena, the BJP has emerged as a formidable political force in Mumbai. It is already on a mission mode to secure majority in the BMC. Where does the Congress stand in this scenario?
For 27 years, the BJP was an ally of the Shiv Sena. It is now accusing the Sena of largescale corruption in the BMC. What was it doing as a junior ally of the Sena? Its members were there in the standing committee, improvement committee etc. The deputy mayor was from the BJP. Hence, the BJP cannot pretend as if it had nothing to do with corruption. In fact, it was responsible for the very corruption it is now accusing the Shiv Sena of. We will expose the BJP during the poll campaign.
Do you think issues like Uniform Civil Code etc will impact the civic polls? Do you fear communal polarisation ahead of the polls?
Honestly, these are issues which will be relevant during the general elections. In local polls, voters are concerned about issues like price rise, transport, shelter, health facilities etc. As for communalism, we will fight it tooth and nail. My effort will be to promote communal harmony in the city. Already all our party offices are called “Mohabbat ki Dukan” (Shops of love) and we will not let any party vitiate the communal atmosphere.
