Author: Ravindra Dani
Publication: Mumbai Tarun Bharat
(Marathi Daily)
Date: May 23, 2004
There is a 'Bakul' tree just
at the entrance of Rashtrapati Bhavan to the right. It is silent
witness of all the events taking place in the closed halls of Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
Vajpayee became the Prime Minister
in May 1996. It was announced to the world and the journalists for which
this tree was a witness. The announcement of Sonia Gandhi presenting a
list of 272 MPs in 1999 was made with this tree as a witness and in 2004
May the signal that Sonia Gandhi will not be the Prime Minister was also
given with this tree as a witness.
Meeting of seven and half minutes.
Tuesday, 18th May. The car carrying
Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh entered in the main building of Rashtrapati
Bhavan (RB) at 12.10 hrs. The meeting commenced at 12.15 hrs and within
10 minutes only, Sonia and Dr Manmohan Singh came out. The faces of Dr
Singh and Sonia were full of tension. Something had terribly gone wrong.
There was no reason whatsoever for the future Prime Minister to come out
within only 10 minutes. Sonia Gandhi told, "We are going to come
to meet the President again tomorrow." But the sentiments on their faces
were indicating something quite different.
Simple Process:
In reality, the prime ministership
of Sonia was certain after getting the support of more than 300 MPs.
Even if there were some voices of some BJP leader, in politics, it is considered
natural. After 13th May results, the prime ministership had become certain.
The ordinarily expected process was that Congress party would elect Sonia
Gandhi as its leader, the friendly parties would endorse it, Congress party
would indicate it to the President and Sonia Gandhi would go to President
Bhavan with the supporting letters of other parties and in the same meeting
and President would invite her to form the Government. Accordingly, in
the meeting of Saturday, Sonia Gandhi was elected the leader of the party.
On Sunday night, the friendly parties elected her as leader.
The morning of Monday
After the process of electing the
leader was complete, it was expected that Sonia Gandhi would go to the
Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday and on Wednesday her swearing in ceremony
will take place. But, Sonia Gandhi did not meet the President on
Monday. In the afternoon, a special envoy of the President reached
10, Janpath with a letter from the President. And this letter gave a terrible
shock to the Congress party. Perhaps, Sonia Gandhi could not have
understood the meaning of President's letter, but it was clear to Dr Manmohan
Singh and Pranav Mukherjee. Some sources from Rashtrapati Bhavan gave Sonia
Gandhi an idea of it and she took the decision to forgo her claim on the
Prime Ministership which she confirmed the next day when she met the President.
Statement of Sonia Gandhi.
On Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi published
a statement and declared that she had already decided to refuse the prime
ministership when it had come in her sight. In 1999, she had gone to RB
and presented her claim to form the Government and in 2004, she had launched
all preparations to form the Government. It all has undergone a change
- after she got the letter of the President giving her counsel.
Appointment letter to Dr Singh
The President applied different
standards to Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh. The evidence of it is
the appointment of Dr Manmohan Singh. On Wednesday evening at 6 O'clock
Dr Manmohan Singh was elected as the leader and at 8.15 p.m. he was given
the letter of appointment. The President neither asked him the evidence
of majority nor did he ask him about the support, but this did not happen
in the case of Sonia Gandhi. The story of refusal of Sonia Gandhi is hidden
in the letter of the President to Sonia Gandhi inviting her for discussions
and the letter of appointment to Dr Manmohan Singh. What took place
in the meeting with the President is going to be kept hidden among only
four persons - President himself, his Secretary, Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan
Singh. Some things are disclosed to the nation after many years, because
the resultant heat of such secrets is nil at that time. In America, there
is a law. All-important documents can be made public after 25 years.
Beca! use all references undergo a change by that time and the effect of
those documents is ended. Perhaps, the details of the discussions
that took place in the RB's closed hall would come out after some years
and the correct analysis of the decision of Sonia Gandhi and the standpoint
of the President could be done.
The outcome of the decision:
Political circles will discuss the
probable effect of Sonia Gandhi's refusal to become PM. The mindset
of Indian public is very puzzling. One cannot say when the people who had
admired and worshipped a party or leader, would trounce him under their
feet in the elections. In 1984, people gave Rajiv Gandhi the unprecedented
success of 455 seats. Even Pt Nehru or Indira Gandhi did not get it and
in 1989, Rajiv Gandhi could get 193 seats only. There is no doubt that
the image of Sonia Gandhi has heightened by her decision. But this image
is going to be connected with the Congress party. It is going to depend
on how Dr Manmohan Singh is going to work. By Sonia's decision '10 Janpath'
is going to be a new centre of power in the capital while that Dr Manmohan
Singh's is going to be a secondary one. Sonia Gandhi selected Dr Manmohan
Singh, but this selection is not acceptable to Congress people. It
does not mean that they will reject it. But there is a 'Political
authority' of th! e post of Prime Minister, which will not be with Dr Manmohan
Singh. It is the same reaction which would have arisen in BJP
if BJP would have come in the power and Vajpayee had made Jaswant Singh
the PM. India is India. Not America or Britain. In America-Britain,
the administration of main Ministries is given to the non-political professional
persons. On the same lines, Rajiv Gandhi brought Arun Singh and Arun
Nehru in the Government. Both were failures. On the same lines,
BJP gave Jaswant Singh, Arun Shourie important posts. But both of
them could not understand the grass-root politics. BJP had to pay the price
of it to some extent. Jaswant Singh, Arun Shourie and Dr Manmohan
Singh are in the same class. They are honest and hardworking but they have
not done justice to the post they are adorning. This is the history till
today. The nation desires that Dr Manmohan Singh should prove to be an
exception to this.
Third Time:
Now it can be said that the Prime
Ministership of India was not fated to go to Sonia. It is said that it
was offered to her in 1991 on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and she
had refused it at that time. In 1999, she was very close to become the
PM, but in the nick of time, Mulayam Singh betrayed her and when in 2004,
it had come in her sight, Dr Manmohan Singh has become the PM. Prime Ministership
has giver her the slip third time. 2004 election took place with the slogan
"Vajpayee or Sonia" and who became the PM? Dr Manmohan Singh. Is
this a verdict of the people or the providence?
