JOIN USHe has a blend of political maturity and humour, which makes him one of the most noticeable political characters in Gujarat today.
As 76-year-old Vajubhai Vala gears up for his next assignment, he hopes to live up to his reputation of being non-partisan when it comes to holding constitutional posts.
As the Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Vala, a veteran politician from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, had managed to earn accolades even from the Opposition for adopting a balanced approach in Assembly proceedings.
Given his non-controversial political track record and clout in both politics and the corporate world, his name was doing the round as a “dark-horse” candidate in the race for chief ministership of Gujarat when Narendra Modi was elected the prime minister.
Vala a qualified lawyer and fluent primarily in Gujarati, manages to read and write Hindi and has strong RSS roots. It’s not surprising that this last programme in Gujarat was the award function of an RSS magazine.
Deccan Herald caught up with Vala, and in an exclusive interview to Swati Bhan, he spoke of his priorities when he assumes office as the governor of Karnataka.
Q. Are you satisfied with the responsibility the party has entrusted you with?
A. We are party workers who abide by the party’s instruction and do not question its intentions. I have never been enamoured by designations, and have taken every work as a responsibility entrusted upon me by the party, be it as a minister, party president, party worker or even the speaker.
Every post has its own set of responsibilities, and it is up to an individual to be responsible towards the job he or she has been entrusted with.
Q. You will be in a state which is ruled by the Opposition. What will your role as governor be? Will you be like your predecessor?
A. I will abide by whatever is demanded of the post. I am a qualified lawyer who understands the workings within the framework of the law and the Constitution. I will do everything that is under the provision of the Constitution.
Q. As speaker, you have been known to take a balanced approach even towards the Opposition. Will it be the same as governor?
A. As I have said with every post, there is a defined responsibility, even as a governor, that one has to be on the right side of the law. If it means taking a stand, then as a governor it is my responsibility to be an observer and ensure that the right decision is take in favour of the people at large.
Q. Do you think language will be a problem to you and pose a challenge?
A. No. Hindi is an acceptable language and it works everywhere. So even for a constitutional post like that of the governor, communicating and working with colleagues in Hindi should not be a problem.