The roman holiday is over

The unexpected bombshell dropped by three secular stalwarts of the Congress has indeed come both as a surprise as well as a crumb of comfort to a nation caught in a frenzied debate about the pros and cons of a foreign born PM. It is a surprise because no one, least of all Sonia herself, would have expected it as it was virtually taken for granted that she was the natural leader of the Congress, and therefore the natural claimant to the PMO if the party romped home.

And it is surely comforting, with due respects to the great services rendered by the lady to the Indian people, that a few Congressmen have gathered the courage and, above all, the honesty to tell her that India as a nation has some culture and pride too, that are more sacrosanct than she is to the Congress.

Whatever their individual grievances and motivations, the troika of Pawar, Sangma and Tariq-a high powered secular combination indeed- have at one stroke brought the facade of Congress solidarity crashing down. No one in his right senses can really blame the trio for playing the BJP game for none of the three is known to entertain even the remotest sympathy for the Sangh and its parivar.

Yet if they have raised the issue with such intensity, it only reflects their lingering uneasiness about the acceptability of a foreigner as the Prime Minister even if the person happens to belong to the nation’s premier family. The issue is by all means a real one, but the Congressmen’s attempt to gloss over the subject even without a minimal debate certainly made the three men, nay, the entire nation wary.

That the lady herself, in a fit of self-forgetfulness prompted by shameless flatterers, showed keenness to ascend the throne just a month back, while all along disclaiming any interest in power, must have also weighed on their minds as it did on all right thinking people’s. The three musketeers’ message is loud and clear: Madam, you are free to serve the party as you assured us, but running the nation as its PM is different. To put it more bluntly, they have reminded Sonia that Congress is not India.

The entire letter, couched in respectful language, makes for very interesting reading. But the most devastating aspect is their suggestion that there should be a constitutional amendment barring persons not of Indian origin from contesting for the posts of the President, Vice-President or the Prime Minister.

Obviously, such thoughts do not emerge overnight owing to sudden personal compulsions. Rather, it reveals the limits to which the debate has gone on in their minds and it is only when they could not allow the contradiction to continue any longer that they have chosen to speak out. That they have made bold to do so despite the prospect of a sycophantic backlash against them shows their determination as also the extent of their hurt.

By making that single suggestion, the three men have put themselves beyond recourse on the issue and probably beyond salvage vis-a-vis their position in the party. The ‘traitors’ are unlikely to be spared by the dime-a-dozen hawks that infest the party, but the trio has made its point quite emphatically.

The necessity for such constitutional safeguards as enunciated by the trio cannot be gainsaid. Indeed, India has always been a very liberal country, taking into its fold varied alien cultures and practices, sometimes even at the cost of erosion in its own historic values.

But, there is really no necessity to stretch our large heartedness beyond a point, particularly in the context of even advanced and very modern western countries refusing to allow foreigners in positions of power. In fact, many of them have specific laws barring persons of outside origin making a bid for power and with good reason too. What is sauce for them, should be so for us too.

When Sonia made her pre-emptive but vain bid at power last month, she exposed herself as just another politician hankering for power. She must have, considering her foreign origins, exercised at least the minimum caution of getting democratically elected through the ballot, though that too cannot be taken to mean the ultimate certification of her credentials. The people of the country do not vote out of any love for their candidates.

Rather, their vote is almost always an exhibition of anger at the incumbent which indirectly helps the opponent, whatever his or her credentials, to make it to the legislature. It is this all pervading negativism that has become the bane of our democracy and caused such scattering of the mandate much to the detriment of the nation.

The people of the country would be willing to even vote for Saddam Hussein, considering the deep-seated hatred enjoyed by all the politicians amongst the masses. But the point is that given the scenario of such dubious choices, even a democratic exercise of franchise cannot add a camouflage of credibility and legitimacy to something that is intrinsically wrong, which is what Sonia’s bid for the chair is. That a few Congmen too think so, is indeed gratifying.

But, the sudden turn of events has surely punctured the Congressmen’s sense of euphoria and has also blurred their visions of power, at least temporarily. But if only if they sit back for a minute to ponder over their actions, they would realise though they may not accept it, that the current Sonia mania is purely owing to the fact that they see it as the only route to power and not born out of any platonic intentions.

The moment the lady fails to deliver the goods for the party, more and more Congressmen are likely to remember her foreign origins. For Sonia, the irksome letter from the threesome, may really turn out to be a blessing, if only she bothers to pay heed. The nation has no choice but to pay heed, if it has one bit of shame.

e-mail the writer at
[email protected]