Advani vs. Man Mohan: One Equals Four
Posted : April 24, 2009 at 6:06 pm [IST]
Last fortnight, the media coverage of Battle Election 2009 reminded me of an episode of Mahabharata. Both the heroes have the same first letter in their names. But the character in the epic was a teen ager while the hero of the present battle is 81 years old. Abhimanyu got into the Chakrabyuh alone and fought with the seven Maharathis. As it appears from the media coverage, Advani alone is facing the sharpest arrows from the four biggies- Man Mohan, Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka, as he accused Man Mohan as a weak Prime Minister.
I wonder why the trio didn’t eulogize Man Mohan in the same way earlier. Why didn’t they find a safe seat in Lok Sabha? I found perhaps one of the best logics for the same in one cover page story in ‘India Today‘: “She (Sonia) has to sell a prime minister, and maybe he is the only thing worth selling for her and the party. The Family- Reluctant Son, Cool Daughter and Holy Mother-is wowing captive clients with its sales pitch. The prime minister has now become the campaign. The Choice- Not bad for a man who has contested only once to the Lok Sabha-and that too to lose.”
Man Mohan Singh came out with a lame excuse for answering Advani to certain extent in a little derogatory manner that I never imagined him to do. He claimed to do it as now Congress has selected him to be the Prime Minister candidate. Man Mohan went a step further and allowed his family in full strength to step out for the first time to project him as the man best suited for the top job — the workaholic, the man with unimpeachable integrity. A TV channel beamed their interviews. In an election campaign when Man Mohan Singh is not fighting any seat directly, why would have they done it, but for presenting Man Mohan as marketable commodity?
It is not only the BJP’s or Advani’s but perhaps a large number of politically conscious Indians who don’t consider Man Mohan Singh having the real power the Prime minister of this great democracy would have had. It is not but a truth that the real authority resides with the Congress president. How was Advani wrong in his criticism of Man Mohan as a weak Prime Minister? As T N Ninan of Business Standard has written, “If you cannot criticize the head of government, then what is left of political debate?”
Unfortunately, even Man Mohan Singh’s body language failed him to look like the Prime Minister of the country right from the first day when he got nominated or thrust upon the country by the benevolent Sonia. Sonia would have waited and let Congress Parliamentary Party choose the Prime Minister democratically. Perhaps somewhere Sonia was afraid of losing her hold over the government with anyone else but Man Mohan. It appears the other possible candidates for the highest office, be it Pranab or Chidambaram who were equally qualified to hold the office, will never dare to aspire to get there out of fear. The route to the highest chair must be kept free of any possible obstruction for one from the Gandhi family. Even in this election, Man Mohan was declared as Prime Ministrial candidate by Sonia and not by a Congress Party body such as CWC.
I don’t know whether under the bogey of secularism that makes BJP untouchable, Advani will be able to fulfill his dremas of getting into the highest office. But today perhaps if one thinks without any bias about the pros and cons of the different prospective candidates including Man Mohan, Sarad Pawar or Mayawati for the post, Advani is the best for the country. It hardly matters if Advani at 81 looses. After all Abhimanyu also lost but revered till date.
It is unfortunate that English media and so called highly reputed columnists show certain apathy against Advani and don’t highlight the biggest problem of Congress Party that is its dynastic setup. How can a party be called democratic when even in next hundred years no one but a Gandhian can become the Prime Minister? How could they compare dynastic Congress, the national party with Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and DMK and get solace?
However, I wish this oldy Abhimanyu to win and see his dreams fulfilled.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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