Strange are the ways of democracy. It is perhaps the only political system under which both the victor and the vanquished can claim to have won. While the winner’s claim to victory is almost always legitimate, the loser tries to project his defeat as a defeat for democracy! This in fact is an exercise in face-saving and self-deception prompted by a misplaced hope that a better day awaits them. And they go about, shamelessly parading themselves before the same people who have rejected them. But the sad part is that, at times they get away with it.
The allusion is to Dr Subramanyam Swamy and his antics, which of late have come to ridiculous levels. One Waterloo was enough to finish Napolean. But even after several Waterloos if Mr Swamy is still at large, one can only fault the system and of course Mr Swamy’s patrons. For almost three years now, Mr Swamy has been meddling in Tamilnadu politics with the sole aim of unseating Ms Jayalalitha from power. In this he has found common cause with a band of discredited politicians, an obliging CEC, disgruntled MPs and former Ministers and of course the blessings of a very excellent Governor. It has become a practice with him to set deadlines only to miss them with remarkable consistency. The fact that he and his party have been singularly rejected by the people does not deter him from unabashedly flaunting his none too impressive political credentials. His doors are always open with a welcome sign on the doormat, for those who express their hatred for the Tamilnadu Chief Minister, no matter who they are or what their ‘record’ is.
A recent case in point is the new-found friendship between Mr Swamy and the expelled South Madras AIADMK MP Dr Sridharan. Perhaps it may be wrong to describe their friendship as ‘new-found’ for all evidences only point to an ‘existing’ bond. The MP has been accused, booked and housed in Tihar jail by no less an authority than the Customs department which is a Central agency. That Mr Swamy should call on him and bail him out of jail is an instance of blatant political opportunism. The subsequent admission of the MP into the Janata Party after he was expelled from the AIADMK only points to a very unholy nexus which is more than what meets the eye. And, the fact that all these are happening right under the nose of the Centre is most disturbing.
The Congress high command may find Mr Swamy indispensable, especially because of his ‘self-proclaimed’ ability to break parties and procure MPs. They might have even found it expedient for reasons known and unknown, to vest him with a position of Cabinet rank. But one can see absolutely no sense in allowing him to go scot free or for tolerating his utterances and his tendency to use his professed closeness to the Prime Minister to browbeat friends and foes of the Congress alike. The Congress party is certain to come to grief for this, as many of those who have associated with Mr Swamy would vouchsafe.
By expelling the erring MP, Ms Jayalalitha has acted boldly and decisively. Unmindful of losing an MP, she has taken this step in yet another rare display of courage and confidence. She has also sent a clear signal to her partymen and the people that those who indulge in shady activities will not be tolerated. Contrast this with what is happening elsewhere in the country, where even erring Ministers not only go unchecked but are also shielded. The difference is, indeed, striking.
It is only natural that Mr Swamy should find in the MP a ‘reliable’ ally. And the latter’s description of Mr Swamy as the ‘saviour of my family prestige’ lays bare the quid pro quo deal between the two. Mr Swamy’s allegation that the MP was a scapegoat is like hiding fire by covering it with cotton.
The allies have promised to expose ‘everything’ very soon (no deadline has been fixed, for a change). After all, expelled politicians threatening to say it all have become a national phenomenon. Nay national joke. Approver politics has never really succeeded for the simple reason that people know better.
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