INDORE, Apr 10: Indore MP and outgoing Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan Wednesday said politics cannot have a
fixed retirement age as is the case with government jobs, days
after she opted out of the poll fray amidst speculations that
the BJP was not keen to field leaders above 75 years of age.
Mahajan, who has been winning from Indore constituency
since 1989, also said she did not have any authentic
information about her party’s policy about not giving tickets
to those leaders who 75 plus.
As the BJP dithered on announcing the candidate for
the Indore seat, Mahajan announced on April 5 that she would
not contest the Lok Sabha elections. Mahajan had written to
BJP chief Amit Shah stating that she has freed the party to
make its choice for Indore seat.
Mahajan turns 76 Friday.
“Politics cannot be compared with government jobs.
Retirement age in government service is pre-determined.
However, this cannot be done in politics because politicians
are directly involved with happiness and sorrows of the common
people and work for them beyond deadlines,” Mahajan said.
The MP recalled that Morarji Desai had become prime
minister of the country when he was 81.
In an interview to The Week magazine recently, Shah
had stated that it was his party’s decision not to give Lok
Sabha poll tickets to those above 75 years of age, leading to
veteran leaders like L K Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi
missing out. Though he had not named Mahajan, the outgoing Lok
Sabha speaker too falls in the same age bracket.
When asked about Shah’s statement, Mahajan said as she
was occupied with the responsibilities of the post of Lok
Sabha Speaker, she could not attend the meetings held by BJP’s
central organisation in the last five years, and thus is not
aware of any such age bar policy.
“I don’t have any authentic information about the
party meeting in which the policy regarding not giving tickets
to party leaders who crossed 75 was decided. I am not aware of
this. Only Amit Shah can say anything in this regard,” she
said.
Mahajan, however said, “If there is a policy decided
by BJP organisation for the leaders above 75 years of age,
then the party workers have to abide by it”.
In reply to a question, Mahajan said, “I am not so old
that I have to retire from politics. I have been working for
the BJP and will continue to do so”.
Mahajan also took pot-shots at proposed “Maha
gathbandhan” or grand-alliance of Opposition parties over the
claims of winnablity in the Lok Sabha elections, slated to be
held in seven phases from April 11.
“Any political party must have at least 272 Lok Sabha
seats to form a government at the Centre. But, the Congress
and other Opposition parties involved in the so-called ‘maha
gathbandhan’ are not even contesting those many seats,” she
said.
Mahajan also said various factions of the proposed
bloc are divided across states and there is no consensus on
their prime ministerial candidate.
“I feel that the ‘Maha gathbandhan’s main objective is
to claim the post of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha,
and not to form the next government,” Mahajan quipped.
She also questioned financial feasibility of the
proposed “Nyay” scheme of the Congress for the poor.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had announced the
scheme which he promised to implement if his party is voted to
power.
The scheme envisages to deposit Rs 72,000 per year to
the poorest people.
“The poor has suffered and faced injustice during the
rule of the Congress which had talked about ‘Gareebi Hatao’ (eradication of poverty). Rahul should calculate whether government would be able to arrange so much money that it can deposit Rs 72,000 in the bank account of each poor?” she asked. (PTI)
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