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.