India’s Next Prime Minister
Posted : February 18, 2009 at 7:24 pm [IST]
Last year when I was in US in election time, it was Obama everywhere. Obama own election over McCain. Democrats didn’t win over Republicans. It was almost a hysteria-like affair at least on TV screens. Many a time it appeared at first glance that the media own the election. Unfortunately, in India the situation is different but reason again is different. I wish the election would have been between the powerful personalities contesting the highest and most powerful office. NDA has LK Advani selected if not elected as prime minister with win. Congress is still vacillating for Man Mohan Singh. His recent second time bypass surgery from is certainly a negative factor against him and can be a point for the electorate to doubt. Sonia is not ready to take a chance again even with her pet in president chair, neither is she ready to field Rahul. Other such as Pranab babu can’t think of any favours from Sonia, though the media did its best to sell him when he presented the budget. Congress party as such will back Man Mohan if Sonia and Rahul do that, unless he takes a bold gesture and volunteer to not do that. So far UPA is concerned, the name of Sharad Pawar has been tossed and some such as SP has come to support it. I don’t know if Bihari kingmakers will go in his support. Ideally, Sonia should show the magnanimity for Sharad Pawar, though I never found him the right stuff for the country at this moment. Unfortunately, the other UPA strong man Karunanidhi mightn’t have the ambition or the age for the job.
English media and leftists are dead against Advani, though he may be more secular than even Atal Bihari. But an article appearing in Hindustan Times that is certainly Congress leaning has a question that is surprising and perhaps comes with some fresh input. “Does any other leader today have better credentials than Advani to be India’s PM?” One of the GVL Narasimha Rao ’s logics, that is not found these days in polity, really touched me. “Advani’s is, perhaps, the only case in Indian politics where a leader has sacrificed his own ambition when he was ‘all-powerful’ to pave the way for anointing a charismatic Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the prime ministerial candidate. This was an act of self-abnegation much more important than Sonia Gandhi’s ’sacrifice’ considering that she continued to wield authority while Advani allowed Vajpayee to emerge stronger than him politically.” Unfortunately, some in media take undue advantage of the provision of free press to keep on expressing the biased views years after years. Like everything else, people change with time, and the media men must understand it. I get reminded of the media’s double standard when it came to Budhdha Bhattacharya in West Bengal. Media made him hero and industrialists- and development- friendly forgetting what CPM did in 60s and 70s to damage West Bengal forever. I don’t know Rao much, and I only hope this is not one planted by some BJP supporter as the leftists side may claim.
It is unfortunate that it will not be the merit that decides the political stars that will shine, otherwise HD Dev Ghowda would not have become the prime minister and Mayawati would not have been dreaming for the chair.
Advani and his team will have to work hard to bring the voters at the bottom of the pyramids, and more so the minority on their side with some strategies and some acceptable and attractive dreams with a time frame. BJP in particular must attract and induct some real leaders from industry and education. It must get more scientific in managing its affairs and democratic right up to the root level so that the meritorious get recognized and move fast up the ladder. It is just like a good industrial enterprise today. In our days, the top man of the companies used to be one from family, may be extended one. I could have dreamt to become the president of India but not the president in the company. But the things have changed in good and successful so-called professionally managed companies. It is the best who can aspire to go the top. Let BJP be different.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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