HVK Archives: How and sour George
How and sour George - India Today
Swapan Dasgupta
()
May 18, 1998
Title: How and sour George
Author: Swapan Dasgupta
Publication: India Today
Date: May 18, 1998
By the Night of May 4, the day China accused George Fernandes of
having "seriously sabotaged the favourable atmosphere for
improving bilateral relations", Delhi's grapevine was thick with
"reliable information" that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
was looking for a new defence minister. The next day, the patent
holder of an eponymous doctrine followed the Congress in
denouncing George as an "adventurist" bent on creating a
"psychosis". To ram home the point, an unnamed source in the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told The Statesman that George's
views re not a reflection of the considered views of the
Government".
Another faux pas, sniggered the sceptics. Unsuitable minister,
tut-tutted the Chanakyapuri seminar circuit. A blundering
Government, gloated the editorial classes. Barely 60 days old and
two quick wickets down, the purpose behind the loud appeal
against George was served. The Vajpayee Government was unnerved
and its image of bumbling incompetence bolstered.
It is a strange paradox. China encourages insurgent movements
along our borders, supplies Pakistan with missile technology for
use against India. conducts nuclear tests with impunity,
repeatedly embarrasses visiting Indian dignitaries and stalls
negotiations on the border dispute. Yet, when a diligent
minister berates the "carelessness and casual attitude" of the
political class to national security and bluntly describes China
as a "potential" threat, he is called a maverick. He is attacked
for his "chauvinism" by a former prime minister who loved turning
the other cheek. The "patriotic" left demands his resignation
because he has offended Beijing. A Government committed to
"exercisc(ing) the option to induct nuclear weapons", falters at
the first hurdle of Chinese displeasure. If a Government is
incapable of calling a spade a spade, how will it cope with the
growing pressure to abandon its nuclear option? What use is the
strategic review if an option is prejudged? A weak Government, a
Government incapable of supplying one-way tickets to seven lame-
duck ambassadors, can hardly be expected to epitomise national
resurgence.
That is what it seems on the surface. But there is another
dimension. The opprobrium attached to George's Krishna Menon
lecture and his Home TV interview wasn't merely an outcome of the
China-can-never-do-any-wrong lobby's indignation. Or even the
anti-nuclear lobby's own hidden agenda. It is, for example,
curious that senior officials of Vajpayee's own Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) were most incensed by George's assertions.
Did they inspire the reactions from the Congress? Are they
simultaneously briefing the man tipped to head the MEA'S
parliamentary consultative committee, whose main intention is to
run a parallel ministry? These are questions that only Vajpayee
is in a position to answer. Yet, he chooses not to even address
them.
In "Fixing" George, the lobbyists have won. First, they have
publicly demonstrated that the PMO does not have a mind of its
own. Second, by orchestrating a reaction-even at the cost of
undermining the country's defence minister at the behest of
Beijing-they have signalled that boldness and radicalism are
unwelcome. That it is best to stick to the straight and narrow.
In other words, do nothing and be a prisoner of a politicised
bureaucracy. If the prime minister doesn't learn from this
controversy, he might as well roll out the red carpet for Sonia
Gandhi.
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