Q: In Bihar, you seem to be eying a tie-up with Nitish Kumar. 23 children have died but there is no strong reaction from Congress party.
Renuka: This is not true. We have held the state government responsible. But you tell me , what should we do on these matters? When we try to interfere too much, like in case of NCTC, the states say that we are tinkering with their federal rights. When I was Union family and child development minister, I had raised these concerns and I wanted to discuss these issues with state governments but non-Congress governments were not ready.
Q: Your opponents make a very serious allegation on your treatment of PM Manmohan Singh. They say that you made Manmohan Singh PM but didn't give him a free hand. On one hand, there is 10, Janpath and on the other hand, there are agencies like NAC to dictate terms. And on the top of all this, Manmohan Singh always says that Rahul Gandhi can take over as PM whenever he wants. How would you react to this allegation of the PM not being given a free hand?
Renuka: This is very wrong. Please don't misinterpret a person just because he is a gentle man. This is a new style that we have adopted in this country. We cross the line of decency by showing disrespect to PM, just to become hero. This government is being run on the shoulders of the PM. Manmohan Singh is such a nice person that he has got accolades at the international level. When we got 8 percent growth in GDP, nobody said that the PM is weak and nobody congratulated Soniaji for giving a good PM. Now that the international growth has slowed down, Euro zone is collapsing, Germany and Japan are shaking , international currency is not stable then everybody is saying that PM is weak. When Sonia Gandhi was offered Prime ministership , she had declined. She said she is not interested in post. She wants to work for the people and today even his son is doing the same. You tell me, how many years have passed by since the time we had a PM from Nehru-Gandhi family?
Q: But the perception is that the real power still lies in the hands of the family.
Renuka: This is the just the perception. Madam runs the party. Yes, she gives the suggestion because it's our own government. Is it wrong by any means? And what is NAC? NAC is just a think tank consisting of citizens doing social work. Will the PM become strong if Sonia stops giving suggestions, if NAC stops giving suggestions? Then what is the relevance of cabinet? These are the democratic processes. Those who don't believe in democracy , don't understand this. And they keep spreading the rumours that the PM is very weak. It's very sad. Dr Manmohan Singh is the PM of the entire nation.
Q: It is said that the PM did not want Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal to resign. It was Sonia Gandhi who forced him to seek their resignation.
Renuka: I'm amazed that we publically speculate about What the PM thinks on an issue without knowing the truth.
