NOTE: This blogger writes a weekly column on Sundays in Andhra Bhoomi- a Telugu daily from the stable of Deccan Chronicle. The following column did not appear last Sunday because it was felt that the column was "too harsh on Sonia". Obviously, the proprietor who is lobbying for a RS seat does not want anything against the Congress' high priestess to go in his publications. So much for press freedom!
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Congress Working Comittee member and a deemed intellectual of sorts in AP politics, K Kesava Rao always comes out with bytes which 24 hour news channels can lap up. His recent gem of a statement was that those who won the last elections on Congress tickets were able to do so only because of Sonia Gandhi’s pictures. Does this remind you of the extreme arrogance with which a great leader of the nation proclaimed decades ago that even a lamp post, if given a Congress ticket, could win the elections? KK was only humane to give to that status to a picture of Congress President and not to a lamp post. Making a statement alone is not sufficient Mr Rao. Being a so-called intellectual, you have to answer simple questions.
The Congress election campaign projected three leaders – Sonia Gandhi, the heir apparent Rahul Gandhi and as an appendix to these two, Dr Manmohan Singh. Do you think voters saw only Sonia’s pictures?
AP Congress chief also must have carried Sonia’s picture in his campaign in Nizamabad. Why
then did he lose and lose to a BJP candidate who was one of the two who were elected on BJP ticket in the entire state?
Out of 294 seats in the state assembly, Congress could secure only 157, a wafer thin majority. Does this not mean Sonia picture did not work in the rest of the constituencies?
Why did Congress seek alliances in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, if Sonia’s picture could do the magic?
Do you mean that for the Congress to win, a picture or just an icon is enough and it can replace policies and programmes?
Is it a tacit admission that Sonia, who always depends on her speech writers to deliver speeches by reading them out, cannot win with her communication skills; instead has to depend on her picture alone?
A final question Kesava Rao has to answer is this. Why did he not contest an election with her picture instead of taking back door entry?
Besides rank sycophancy which is the essential qualification for Congressmen to survive, KK’s statement has political overtones. If Congress could win two general elections consecutively, it was merely because of Dr YS Rajasekara Reddy whether one may agree with his style of functioning or not. Now, there is an attempt to erase that legacy. His welfare schemes were diluted, some were abandoned citing the shrinking government coffers. In effect, these spineless and clueless Congressmen, even as they are fighting among themselves reminding us of early eighties, want to curry favour with the high command so that they can get some crumps. The only way to do that is to denigrate YSR legacy and to paint a picture as if it was the party (read Sonia Gandhi) that was responsible for coming back to power in the state. What else can please her except to say that she alone was responsible for Congress victory in the state.
Agreed, there is no trait called “virtue” in politics. But, the virtue of “gratefulness” seems to be reserved for the Nehru Gandhi family only. People have to be grateful for Nehru, Indira, Rajiv and now Sonia followed by Rahul for whatever happens to the country. And so, all the institutions will be named after them. If Jagan puts up his late father’s statue, it is not something that servile Congressmen can stomach.
Opposition to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tour of Telangana from Congressmen themselves and the party’s dictat to him not to undertake the tour has to be viewed in this context. Rootless wonders in the Congress party are obviously not comfortable with the response Jagan got wherever he went. For advocates of Telangana who want to wage a “civil war”, Jagan’s tour is a new found trigger for unleashing violence, especially when the sentiment is on the wane or atleast not visible. So, we promote the disgusting political culture of blackmail when we deify those who resort to immolations and take a leap from cell towers. The reason trotted out by them is that Jagan might canvass for “Samaikya Andhra”. If the sentiments are so strong for Telangana, any number of Jagans cannot undo it. Further, can anything be more irrational than this in a democracy? If a leader who holds a different point of view on an issue cannot tour in parts of the state, and if this has to be extended, BJP leaders cannot tour in West Bengal and Commis cannot venture out in Gujarat. What sort of democratic traditions we are trying to set for the posterity?
Even as this political intolerance is tearing apart our social fabric, there is a premium on religious intolerance of the minority groups. One can understand an Islamic state like Pakistan banning social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Taking cue from a theocratic neighbour, Maharashtra government, supposed to be secular, wants a ban on Facebook. Why? Islamic and Christian groups demand such a ban because the sites carry certain images and caricatures that hurt them. Are there no sentiments for the majority group in the country? As a strange coincidence, even as there is a demand for ban on Facebook, MF Husain’s “Saraswati” is going to be auctioned in London. It is not clear whether it is the same painting that showed the Goddess of Learning in a despicable manner hurting the sentiments of the majority community. But, coincidence is not something that can be missed out.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
INNER PARTY DEMOCRACY - CONG STYLE
Congressmen’s oft-repeated phrase whenever there is a rift within the party is that the only party which has allowed “inner party democracy” is the Indian National Congress. No doubt, it is true. But the problem is this “inner party democracy” is, sometimes, carried too far. This inner party democracy becomes inter-ministerial at times and explodes in different countries as well. This is what we witnessed recently when Union Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh made remarks against the Home Ministry in China saying that the Union Home Ministry has become “alarmist” and “paranoid” while dealing with China.
Obviously, Ramesh wanted to please his local hosts who must have complained to him about the attitude of the Indian government. To be fair to Ramesh, who has been painted into a corner by everyone in the government and the party, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had expressed in many fora that he had reservations in allowing Chinese workers in different projects undertaken by Chinese industrialists in India. He wanted to allow only those whose skills are not available in the country and he also wanted proper scrutiny before issuing work permits to Chinese workers. As Minister in-charge of internal security, it is his prerogative to frame conditions for entry of foreign nationals that too from a country which has been playing hot and cold – whether it is border dispute, carbon emissions, nuclear cooperation etc.
Does this mean that a Union Minister can go to a foreign country and blame his own government’s policies? Certainly not. But if we take a deeper look into the issue, there is something more than what meets the eye. Chidambaram seems to be the target for many of his colleagues in the party and the government. Is it because he is getting closer to 10 Janpath and enjoys the confidence of the high priestess of the party? It appears to be so.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee might go on “frequent errands” for the government as lampooned by firebrand leader from his own state Mamta Banerjee. But he can never get closer to the high command for the “sins” he committed immediately after Indira’s assassination. Rahul does not seem to be in a hurry for positions of power as he has been with his own marriage. Dr Manmohan Singh who underwent two by-pass surgeries is not in the pink of health. There must be someone in the stand-by mode.
Among the cabinet ministers who puts on a pretence of efficiency and smartness and emerged as darling of the media, it is Chidambaram. That is the reason Ramesh targets him, Mani Shankar Iyer, who carries on his shoulders the burden of upholding secularism using barbaric language with his tongue choked in nitric acid, picks bones on Naxal issues, Digvijay Singh makes a frontal attack on the policies of the Home Minister in dealing with Maoists, forgetting his past as a chief minister. People are not bothered as to what happens behind the screen. What appears on stage is “inner party democracy” which, in effect, means never ending feud among Congressmen.
Even on non-political issues like Census there does not seem to be unity within the ranks of the party. While one section is vehemently opposed to inclusion of caste in the census, there is an equally powerful section which toes the line of Yadavs. Ultimately, the government had to yield to the pressure lobby of OBC leaders because of the number game in Parliament. And this does not speak well for the image of the government because it exposes the vulnerability of the government. Even during the cut motions the country had witnessed as to what levels the government could stoop down to conquer thanks to the pliant CBI.
Social issues like “Khap Panchayat” mostly in Haryana have also exposed the chinks in the party. Congress MP from Haryana, Navin Jindal, shamelessly supports the khap (caste) panchayats and goes to the extent of demanding an amendment to Hindu Marriage Act to favour a ban on the marriage between couples belonging to the same “gotra”. Is this a fallout of our failure to have a uniform civil code? This is a dangerous trend undermining the supremacy of law of the land. How can we then say “no” to shariat courts as demanded by a section of the minorities?
If this is the scene at the national level where Congressmen are fighting among themselves, Andhra Pradesh scenario is no different. Whenever the state cabinet meets, an inescapable scene is this. A section of the cabinet would find fault with the chief minister for not implementing YSR schemes and the chief minister would immediately throw in the towel.
Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao exceeded all limits when he released a list of corruption charges with graphic details against the minister from his district who happens to be his arch rival. Rao did not stop here. He said that most of the ministers are corrupt. What is the reaction of the chief minister? Not much different from the mindset of a school kid, who teased by classmate, would threaten that he would complain to the teacher. That is what the chief minister did. He cautioned both the warring congressmen that he may have to give a “report” to the high command if they continue to fight. You can imagine how strong is his leadership!
There was another Congress MP from Nizamabad, Madhu Yashki. Look at his love for his own party. He says that the Congress cannot win a single seat in the bye polls to be held for the seats vacated by TRS MLAs in the wake of Telangana agitation. Is there anyone in the party to rein him in?
Obviously, Ramesh wanted to please his local hosts who must have complained to him about the attitude of the Indian government. To be fair to Ramesh, who has been painted into a corner by everyone in the government and the party, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had expressed in many fora that he had reservations in allowing Chinese workers in different projects undertaken by Chinese industrialists in India. He wanted to allow only those whose skills are not available in the country and he also wanted proper scrutiny before issuing work permits to Chinese workers. As Minister in-charge of internal security, it is his prerogative to frame conditions for entry of foreign nationals that too from a country which has been playing hot and cold – whether it is border dispute, carbon emissions, nuclear cooperation etc.
Does this mean that a Union Minister can go to a foreign country and blame his own government’s policies? Certainly not. But if we take a deeper look into the issue, there is something more than what meets the eye. Chidambaram seems to be the target for many of his colleagues in the party and the government. Is it because he is getting closer to 10 Janpath and enjoys the confidence of the high priestess of the party? It appears to be so.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee might go on “frequent errands” for the government as lampooned by firebrand leader from his own state Mamta Banerjee. But he can never get closer to the high command for the “sins” he committed immediately after Indira’s assassination. Rahul does not seem to be in a hurry for positions of power as he has been with his own marriage. Dr Manmohan Singh who underwent two by-pass surgeries is not in the pink of health. There must be someone in the stand-by mode.
Among the cabinet ministers who puts on a pretence of efficiency and smartness and emerged as darling of the media, it is Chidambaram. That is the reason Ramesh targets him, Mani Shankar Iyer, who carries on his shoulders the burden of upholding secularism using barbaric language with his tongue choked in nitric acid, picks bones on Naxal issues, Digvijay Singh makes a frontal attack on the policies of the Home Minister in dealing with Maoists, forgetting his past as a chief minister. People are not bothered as to what happens behind the screen. What appears on stage is “inner party democracy” which, in effect, means never ending feud among Congressmen.
Even on non-political issues like Census there does not seem to be unity within the ranks of the party. While one section is vehemently opposed to inclusion of caste in the census, there is an equally powerful section which toes the line of Yadavs. Ultimately, the government had to yield to the pressure lobby of OBC leaders because of the number game in Parliament. And this does not speak well for the image of the government because it exposes the vulnerability of the government. Even during the cut motions the country had witnessed as to what levels the government could stoop down to conquer thanks to the pliant CBI.
Social issues like “Khap Panchayat” mostly in Haryana have also exposed the chinks in the party. Congress MP from Haryana, Navin Jindal, shamelessly supports the khap (caste) panchayats and goes to the extent of demanding an amendment to Hindu Marriage Act to favour a ban on the marriage between couples belonging to the same “gotra”. Is this a fallout of our failure to have a uniform civil code? This is a dangerous trend undermining the supremacy of law of the land. How can we then say “no” to shariat courts as demanded by a section of the minorities?
If this is the scene at the national level where Congressmen are fighting among themselves, Andhra Pradesh scenario is no different. Whenever the state cabinet meets, an inescapable scene is this. A section of the cabinet would find fault with the chief minister for not implementing YSR schemes and the chief minister would immediately throw in the towel.
Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao exceeded all limits when he released a list of corruption charges with graphic details against the minister from his district who happens to be his arch rival. Rao did not stop here. He said that most of the ministers are corrupt. What is the reaction of the chief minister? Not much different from the mindset of a school kid, who teased by classmate, would threaten that he would complain to the teacher. That is what the chief minister did. He cautioned both the warring congressmen that he may have to give a “report” to the high command if they continue to fight. You can imagine how strong is his leadership!
There was another Congress MP from Nizamabad, Madhu Yashki. Look at his love for his own party. He says that the Congress cannot win a single seat in the bye polls to be held for the seats vacated by TRS MLAs in the wake of Telangana agitation. Is there anyone in the party to rein him in?
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