Do you think the Congress lacks charismatic leaders like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi?
Not exactly. But it is possible that a charismatic leader may be one of the reasons for the party’s present condition. But that is not the only reason. Even in Rajiv’s time we lost elections. We lost Gujarat in 1975, we barely came to power in the 1974 Uttar Pradesh assembly election. Of course, Indiraji and Rajiv were charismatic leaders. The Congress does not have any charismatic leaders now. But you cannot have charismatic leaders forever in your party. No party can survive by the shine of one charismatic leader forever. In many villages people used to vote for the Congress party by thinking of Indiraji and Rajiv Gandhi. But the political system in India has changed. Today, no party in India has a charismatic leader. In fact, today in India, we do not have any leader who is of national stature. What about Atal Bihari Vajpayee? Yes, to some extent. But not everywhere. In your opinion, how far has the the liberalisation of the economy affected the party? Liberalisation as such has not
