03-23-2006, 11:25 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Price of misadventure: Leader's head </b>
Sanjay K Jha / New Delhi
If the first "sacrifice" took her to a high moral pedestal, the second saved her from falling into a low pit. The first "sacrifice" celebrated the attainment of "pride of place," the second salvaged the lost pride.
<b>It is difficult to find examples in contemporary politics when the supreme leader is used as a "shock absorber" by a party after cheap intrigues and foolish misadventures. The buffer Congress president Sonia Gandhi enjoyed in the beginning has gone and the heat reaches her every time a fire gets ignited. The blundering managers then persuade her to fire the "sacrifice bramhastra". </b>
In the recent crisis over the office-of-profit issue too, it was again Ms Gandhi's head that was put on the chopping block. As an impression gained ground that the Congress was blatantly misusing power to protect its leader from the storm that felled Jaya Bachchan, and its Government had again acted in wanton violation of parliamentary norms and political propriety, the party took the last resort. She resigned as a member of the Lok Sabha and as the National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson.
...........................
Ms Gandhi said she was quitting to uphold the ideals of politics and public life. "This is my personal decision and I think I am taking the right step. I hope the people of Rae Bareli and the rest of the country will understand my feelings," she added. Responding to questions, <b>she said, "I shall contest again and from Rae Bareli only."</b> The announcement instantly triggered pro-Sonia demonstrations outside 10 Janpath.
<b>While many senior leaders agreed in private conversations that certain ministers had goofed up, they felt even the legal advisors had bungled by not warning the Government against doing "the right thing in a wrong way." A senior party MP told the Pioneer, "in proving their blind loyalty, some leaders give wrong advise. Every party would have supported the measure to handle the office of profit problem and for this the Congress should not have invited so much trouble. Even after the news broke, the Government failed to categorically say they won't bring an ordinance."</b>
The day after, the negative media coverage and the Opposition's belligerence left few options before Ms Gandhi as she was singled out for attack. Senior Congress leaders lamented on Thursday the Opposition singularly targeted her but failed to explain why the subject was handled in a manner that was bound to attract this criticism. Congress general secretaries recalled how the BJP chanted slogans like - Baki sab bahana hai, Sonia ko bachana hai - but sounded defensive when quizzed if there was any need for aggressively taking the ordinance route.
<b>Conveniently forgetting that Ms Gandhi had to quit the Lok Sabha precisely because of poor political management by her loyalists, these leaders talked of her sacrifice and moral stances. </b>
.................
The Congress leaders are now talking about a permanent solution to the problems triggered by the office-of-profit row and the overwhelming feeling is in favour of taking the political and parliamentary route instead of thrusting an ordinance.<b> An AICC general secretary said, "it is true nobody took it seriously when the Jaya Bachchan case came up. Had the Government responded positively at that time by taking all the parties in confidence, we won't have reached this situation. Mistakes have naturally been committed at some levels."</b>
But mistakes have become the order of the day and the party doesn't appear to have learnt from its experience in Jharkhand govt-formation, Bihar Assembly dissolution, Volcker and Quattrocchi row. Instead of deft political management, the party is still relying solely on the leader's charisma. Almost every leader is recalling how she renounced the post of Prime Minister and how moral her responses in the past have been.
Nobody is discussing mistakes. Nobody is bothered why such mistakes occur. <b>"Idol worship" is the answer to all uncomfortable questions</b>. A former AICC general secretary and newly-elected Rajya Sabha member summed up the mood by saying: <b>"The BJP is saying... Baki sab bahana hai, Sonia ko bachana hai. Our answer is... Sonia agar nishana hai, jeene marne ko thana hai." Nice rhyme but that's not what makes good politics.</b>
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Sanjay K Jha / New Delhi
If the first "sacrifice" took her to a high moral pedestal, the second saved her from falling into a low pit. The first "sacrifice" celebrated the attainment of "pride of place," the second salvaged the lost pride.
<b>It is difficult to find examples in contemporary politics when the supreme leader is used as a "shock absorber" by a party after cheap intrigues and foolish misadventures. The buffer Congress president Sonia Gandhi enjoyed in the beginning has gone and the heat reaches her every time a fire gets ignited. The blundering managers then persuade her to fire the "sacrifice bramhastra". </b>
In the recent crisis over the office-of-profit issue too, it was again Ms Gandhi's head that was put on the chopping block. As an impression gained ground that the Congress was blatantly misusing power to protect its leader from the storm that felled Jaya Bachchan, and its Government had again acted in wanton violation of parliamentary norms and political propriety, the party took the last resort. She resigned as a member of the Lok Sabha and as the National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson.
...........................
Ms Gandhi said she was quitting to uphold the ideals of politics and public life. "This is my personal decision and I think I am taking the right step. I hope the people of Rae Bareli and the rest of the country will understand my feelings," she added. Responding to questions, <b>she said, "I shall contest again and from Rae Bareli only."</b> The announcement instantly triggered pro-Sonia demonstrations outside 10 Janpath.
<b>While many senior leaders agreed in private conversations that certain ministers had goofed up, they felt even the legal advisors had bungled by not warning the Government against doing "the right thing in a wrong way." A senior party MP told the Pioneer, "in proving their blind loyalty, some leaders give wrong advise. Every party would have supported the measure to handle the office of profit problem and for this the Congress should not have invited so much trouble. Even after the news broke, the Government failed to categorically say they won't bring an ordinance."</b>
The day after, the negative media coverage and the Opposition's belligerence left few options before Ms Gandhi as she was singled out for attack. Senior Congress leaders lamented on Thursday the Opposition singularly targeted her but failed to explain why the subject was handled in a manner that was bound to attract this criticism. Congress general secretaries recalled how the BJP chanted slogans like - Baki sab bahana hai, Sonia ko bachana hai - but sounded defensive when quizzed if there was any need for aggressively taking the ordinance route.
<b>Conveniently forgetting that Ms Gandhi had to quit the Lok Sabha precisely because of poor political management by her loyalists, these leaders talked of her sacrifice and moral stances. </b>
.................
The Congress leaders are now talking about a permanent solution to the problems triggered by the office-of-profit row and the overwhelming feeling is in favour of taking the political and parliamentary route instead of thrusting an ordinance.<b> An AICC general secretary said, "it is true nobody took it seriously when the Jaya Bachchan case came up. Had the Government responded positively at that time by taking all the parties in confidence, we won't have reached this situation. Mistakes have naturally been committed at some levels."</b>
But mistakes have become the order of the day and the party doesn't appear to have learnt from its experience in Jharkhand govt-formation, Bihar Assembly dissolution, Volcker and Quattrocchi row. Instead of deft political management, the party is still relying solely on the leader's charisma. Almost every leader is recalling how she renounced the post of Prime Minister and how moral her responses in the past have been.
Nobody is discussing mistakes. Nobody is bothered why such mistakes occur. <b>"Idol worship" is the answer to all uncomfortable questions</b>. A former AICC general secretary and newly-elected Rajya Sabha member summed up the mood by saying: <b>"The BJP is saying... Baki sab bahana hai, Sonia ko bachana hai. Our answer is... Sonia agar nishana hai, jeene marne ko thana hai." Nice rhyme but that's not what makes good politics.</b>
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