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Family above scrutiny

Family above scrutiny

Author: Swapan Dasgupta
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: March 16, 2008

Last Friday evening, to commemorate the much-acclaimed Sonia decade, an English-language news channel produced a short feature on a day in the life of the Congress. The viewer was informed, among other things, that Sonia does a daily routine of yoga, reads the Hindustan Times and Hindu, loves a cup of cappuccino, enjoys Sundays with the family and personally cleans her house before an important party meeting.

I happened to refer to her fondness for wiping the dust off the bookshelves at 10 Janpath (something I also do with fanatical zeal in my more modest home) during the accompanying TV discussion to drive home the point that many Indians still don't view Sonia as a full-fledged politician. To my mind, this is one of her chief strengths. Since deciphering sub-texts is not the business of party spokeswomen, an indignant Jayanti Natarajan pounced ferociously on me. She described my intervention as both "offensive" and "patronising" and went on to say that Sonia Gandhi had saved India for secularism.

It is still not entirely clear in my mind why being house proud and having a sharp eye for specs of infuriating Delhi dust are attributes of the Congress president that the party spokesman would rather keep away from public eye.

Nor were their connections with secularism easily decipherable - unless Congress activists are prone to invoking secularism in the same way as puerile Communists of another age thrust the "toiling masses" into every conversation.

There are many who combine their unconcealed admiration of Sonia's aesthetic sense, particularly her choice of sarees, with scepticism of her politics. Conversely, there are others who blend their voting preference for the BJP with distaste for the party's bling ethos. During a long stay in Gujarat during last December's Assembly election, I was, for example, fascinated by the extent to which the old money-nouveau divide translated into voting intentions and perceptions of Narendra Modi.

What makes sundry Congress leaders prickly about any perceived criticism of either Sonia or the heir-apparent is the complete transformation of the 123-year-old party into a family enterprise.

The nature of last week's celebrations tells its own story. Sonia has been rightly feted for being the longest-serving Congress president.

The question that needed to be asked (but was expediently glossed over) was: Why did earlier Congress stalwarts not serve as party president for an unbroken decade? Did people like Gokhale, Tilak, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel, Subhas Bose, or even Jawaharlal Nehru lack certain qualities that Sonia has in superabundance?

Even the court balladeer from Amethi would balk at saying so.

The history of the Congress has taken many turns. From 1885 to 1920, it was a loose association of patriots, not all of whom were ill-disposed towards the British Empire. In 1920, Mahatma Gandhi transformed it into a national movement for freedom. From 1947 to the split of 1969, the Congress became an umbrella party in a situation of one-party dominance. Finally, from 1969 onwards, the party began acquiring a dynastic character and this has culminated in Sonia being at the helm for 10 years.

When Sonia decides to relinquish charge, it will be her son. There is neither any dispute nor any ambiguity over Rahul's future. "It's up to him to say when he is ready" was the refrain of Congress leaders throughout last Friday.

The Congress has become the Gandhi family business with party members playing the role of either long-standing retainers or professional employees. In this set-up, competence and performance is not altogether discounted but takes second and third place to loyalty.

The atmosphere is distinctly pre-modern: A whisper here or a loose one-liner there could either break promising careers or impose a glass ceiling on future prospects.

In a bid to be open-minded, Rahul spoke to the media about inner-party democracy. It's a laudable concern and may even be followed up. However, there is one point at which all discussion stops and the oath of allegiance takes over.

The "family" is above scrutiny; it can do no wrong. Those are the club rules of the Congress. Take or lump it.


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