Author: Vrinda Gopinath
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: June 17, 2003
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=25948
It would be staggering to imagine
there will be permanent enemies and permanent friends in politics. Yet,
the statement made by Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh yesterday on
Sonia Gandhi's ''Indianness'' must send tectonic waves in the political
field.
Consider this: After being part
of the shouting brigade to disallow foreigners to hold a constitutional
post, Yadav declared in Etawah, his home constituency in Uttar Pradesh,
that he would diasagree with anyone calling Sonia a foreigner.
''She is a true Indian who has imbibed
the spirit of the country and its culture in totality,'' he said, ''and
it is wrong to call Sonia a foreigner now, as she has learned the ethos
of Indian culture.''
Fired by this new emotion, he said
when the BJP raised the ''Sonia's foreign origins'' it was bereft of political
ideas. ''It is likely the BJP will fight the next election on the Indian-versus-
foreigner issue,'' he added.
It is a long, winding road the SP
leader has travelled ever since April 1999, when he refused to support
Sonia's claim to lead an alternative government to the BJP- led NDA government,
which had been toppled at the Centre by one vote. Yadav said he was peeved
by the Congress' arrogance to take him for granted when Sonia unilaterally
declared she had the support of 272 MPs.
Pushed to the corner by the offensive
launched by the Congress, Yadav struck back when he declared at a press
conference in Lucknow a month later, ''The SP has saved the country from
foreign power by refusing to extend unconditional support for a minority-Congress
government led by Sonia Gandhi.''
When asked if he was opposed to
Sonia only because she was a ''foreigner,'' Yadav had said that ''his party
believed crucial posts like that of President, Vice- President, Prime Minister
and Lok Sabha Speaker should not be held by a foreigner.''
Party MP Mohan Singh had even moved
a Private Member's Bill to this effect in the winter session (1998) in
Parliament. The SP leader lustily joined the chorus demanding for a constitutional
amendment to disallow foreigners from occupying a constitutional post and
even aligned with the National Congress Party (NCP), which was created
by former Congressmen Sharad Pawar, P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar on the ''foreigner
issue.''
Even when AIADMK Empress J Jayalalitha
(who incidentally allied with the Congress to bring down the NDA Government)
later said she would never ally with Congress if ''foreigner'' Sonia continued
to lead the party, the SP leader rushed to agree with her.
He came out in support of Jayalalitha
when he stated, ''Sonia's foreigner origin will be an issue in the next
Lok Sabha poll,'' and that his ''party would raise it.'' This was in September,
2002. Hardly one year ago.
