Author: T J S George
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date: May 30, 2004
URL: http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEC20040529083244&eTitle=Columns&rLink=0
It is well known that no Indian
politician ever gets punished for criminal acts. See Sukh Ram. No criminal
gets punished either if he joins politics. See Shahabuddin, lodged in Siwan
jail, but re- elected to Parliament nonetheless.
The Patna High Court had asked the
Election Commission to consider cancelling the election of criminals contesting
from jails. In Bihar alone 17 candidates with criminal backgrounds were
in the fray this time, six of them from behind bars. Law- breakers will
now sit in Parliament as law-makers. Viva democracy.
It is no surprise that Bihar tops
this black list that brings disgrace to all of India. Men like Shahabuddin
and Taslimuddin (just appointed Minister of State) flourish because their
mentor is Laloo Prasad, himself embroiled in a clutch of criminal cases.
What an absurd paradox that delinquents, derelicts and iniquitous felons
are flag-bearers of a government headed by the cleanest and most upright
prime minister since Lal Bahadur Sastri.
Which raises the question: Will
Manmohan Singh really be able to function as Manmohan Singh? The DMK's
48-hour tantrum brought a secret out into the open __ that the prime minister's
prerogative of allocating portfolios had been snatched out of the hands
of this Prime Minister. Notice also that Science & Technology was given
to a man whose acclaimed expertise was in law. Evidently petty manipulators
have been successful behind the scenes, unbeknown to the Prime Minister
and deriving their power from Sonia Gandhi.
Ah, Sonia Gandhi. Never has renunciation
been more rewarding. Her becoming Chairman of the new Congress-led alliance
is understandable. But why also Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party
(at the cost of amending the party's constitution) when that post is traditionally
and legitimately identified with the Prime Minister's post? The answer
lies in the collective chant of Congressmen before Madam: "For thine is
the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever, Amen."
Cronyism is a real and present danger
around Sonia Gandhi. Will those mean little operators who wield power without
responsibility and have played their tricks with cabinet formation interfere
with policy as well? Now that the Common Minimum Programme is in place,
will the Prime Minister be free to perform according to his light?
It is easy to say that the Prime
Minister will look after the Government while the Congress President will
focus on the party. That sounds too sensible to be true when so much power
is concentrated in Sonia's hands and everyone goes to her for decisions.
The issue boils down to a simple question: Was the moral wisdom Sonia Gandhi
showed in declining prime ministership really a case of wisdom and moral
high ground, or was it just a tactical manoeuvre?
Even her small-minded adversaries
will agree that Sonia Gandhi won nation-wide admiration when she turned
down the top job. That admiration multiplied many times when she picked
Manmohan Singh as head of government. Without a doubt he commands more
respect, both at home and abroad, than any other political figure today.
He must be left to govern. He must
not only run the government independently but must be seen to be independent.
This is important for India's honour as well as for good governance and
it is important for Sonia Gandhi and the party she needs to build for 2009.
Manmohan Singh is a rare Indian,
by his stature, his track record, his scholarship and his unsullied reputation.
To cramp the operational freedom of such a man would be to cramp the country's
own chances to move forward. Suspend that judgment: The real test of Sonia
Gandhi's wisdom is just beginning.
