07-01-2007, 04:42 AM
<b>Left planning palace coup?</b>
<b>Swapan Dasgupta</b>
Every political crisis throws up its share of conspiracy theories. The UPA-Left crisis of credibility over the nomination of Pratibha Patil to succeed President APJ Abdul Kalam is no exception. Over the past week, as more and more skeletons tumble out of the Pratibha cupboard, questions are being asked as to why such a dodgy individual was nominated in the first place. Equally, assuming there was no due diligence, why doesn't the Congress cut its losses, admit its mistake and take the necessary steps to dump Pratibha mid-stream? (At the time of writing there are whispers that the Congress may yet put forward a "cover" candidate who may end up as its official nominee).
All conspiracy theories invariably begin with Sonia Gandhi. Since so little is known about what she really thinks or feels - Cabinet Ministers are as clueless as the rest of the country - the Congress president lends herself to wild and incredible speculation. The first theory is that Sonia wants a malleable and vulnerable President because she has now decided to end the fiction of indirect rule and assume the mantle of the Prime Minister. Since the conspiracy theorists believed all along that her "inner voice" sprang to life after President Kalam allegedly posed some awkward questions on her citizenship, it stood to reason that she would take over her inheritance after there was a change of guard in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The problem with this theory is that Sonia could just as easily have found a non-tainted doormat to oblige her if she so wanted. <b>Moreover, ever since Rajiv and she got singed by Bofors, Sonia has been quite impatient with loyalists who go wayward - a fellow Italian apart. The unceremonious dumping of K Natwar Singh is a case in point. </b>
All the evidence suggests that no one in the Congress hierarchy was fully aware of the rot behind Pratibha's gentle exterior.
<b>The ones who knew about it swore loyalty to the UPA in public and privately supplied the media and the Opposition details of Pratibha's abuse of patronage. </b>When the allegations started surfacing, many Congressmen took the position that Pratibha had merely enjoyed the normal perks of power - after all, what she had done was commonplace in an organisation that had enjoyed monopoly of power in the licence-permit-quota raj. They were, of course, right.
But it is also an unwritten law of politics that those who choose the path of self-aggrandisement cannot rise to positions where they are subjected to minute scrutiny. Pratibha has not been nominated for a zilla parishad post; she has been chosen to be Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
That despite the seriousness of the allegations the Congress has persisted with its nominee tells us a great deal about political behaviour in India. Politicians, cutting across parties, think they are obliged to appear infallible. Admission of honest misjudgement is perceived as a sign of weakness and has to be countered with brazenness.
It is not merely Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and the Congress spokesperson that are guilty. The Left has set new standards in sophistry by arguing - as AB Bardhan has done - that the revelations merely show Pratibha to be a bad manager and not an unsuitable President.
In fact, it is the Left's connivance that has prompted the second conspiracy theory. The Left, it is being suggested, is waiting for its own candidate to be elected Vice-President before joining the chorus against a "tainted" President. In other words, they hope to achieve a palace coup that will result in a Communist becoming the occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan, if only for a few crucial months. <b><i>WTF is this?</i></b>
But why blame politicians alone for their lack of standards? One section of the media has, for example, conveniently blacked out the allegations against Pratibha. As for the intellectuals and eminent citizens, when it comes to taking on the Congress establishment, independence is replaced by cravenness or judicious silence.
<b>Swapan Dasgupta</b>
Every political crisis throws up its share of conspiracy theories. The UPA-Left crisis of credibility over the nomination of Pratibha Patil to succeed President APJ Abdul Kalam is no exception. Over the past week, as more and more skeletons tumble out of the Pratibha cupboard, questions are being asked as to why such a dodgy individual was nominated in the first place. Equally, assuming there was no due diligence, why doesn't the Congress cut its losses, admit its mistake and take the necessary steps to dump Pratibha mid-stream? (At the time of writing there are whispers that the Congress may yet put forward a "cover" candidate who may end up as its official nominee).
All conspiracy theories invariably begin with Sonia Gandhi. Since so little is known about what she really thinks or feels - Cabinet Ministers are as clueless as the rest of the country - the Congress president lends herself to wild and incredible speculation. The first theory is that Sonia wants a malleable and vulnerable President because she has now decided to end the fiction of indirect rule and assume the mantle of the Prime Minister. Since the conspiracy theorists believed all along that her "inner voice" sprang to life after President Kalam allegedly posed some awkward questions on her citizenship, it stood to reason that she would take over her inheritance after there was a change of guard in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The problem with this theory is that Sonia could just as easily have found a non-tainted doormat to oblige her if she so wanted. <b>Moreover, ever since Rajiv and she got singed by Bofors, Sonia has been quite impatient with loyalists who go wayward - a fellow Italian apart. The unceremonious dumping of K Natwar Singh is a case in point. </b>
All the evidence suggests that no one in the Congress hierarchy was fully aware of the rot behind Pratibha's gentle exterior.
<b>The ones who knew about it swore loyalty to the UPA in public and privately supplied the media and the Opposition details of Pratibha's abuse of patronage. </b>When the allegations started surfacing, many Congressmen took the position that Pratibha had merely enjoyed the normal perks of power - after all, what she had done was commonplace in an organisation that had enjoyed monopoly of power in the licence-permit-quota raj. They were, of course, right.
But it is also an unwritten law of politics that those who choose the path of self-aggrandisement cannot rise to positions where they are subjected to minute scrutiny. Pratibha has not been nominated for a zilla parishad post; she has been chosen to be Head of State and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
That despite the seriousness of the allegations the Congress has persisted with its nominee tells us a great deal about political behaviour in India. Politicians, cutting across parties, think they are obliged to appear infallible. Admission of honest misjudgement is perceived as a sign of weakness and has to be countered with brazenness.
It is not merely Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and the Congress spokesperson that are guilty. The Left has set new standards in sophistry by arguing - as AB Bardhan has done - that the revelations merely show Pratibha to be a bad manager and not an unsuitable President.
In fact, it is the Left's connivance that has prompted the second conspiracy theory. The Left, it is being suggested, is waiting for its own candidate to be elected Vice-President before joining the chorus against a "tainted" President. In other words, they hope to achieve a palace coup that will result in a Communist becoming the occupant of Rashtrapati Bhavan, if only for a few crucial months. <b><i>WTF is this?</i></b>
But why blame politicians alone for their lack of standards? One section of the media has, for example, conveniently blacked out the allegations against Pratibha. As for the intellectuals and eminent citizens, when it comes to taking on the Congress establishment, independence is replaced by cravenness or judicious silence.