07-09-2007, 02:15 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Left, Congress lose credibility </b>
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Arun Nehru
The UPA's presidential candidate, Ms Pratibha Patil, is likely to win the election, but we will have a 'tainted' President. Few, if any, in the immediate future will claim credit for selecting her after everyone else was rejected by the Left, even though many of them had merit and ability.<b> Indeed, the Communist parties have committed another historic blunder. </b>
<b>The loyal media gives a secular, non-secular twist to the whole episode, but this will yield little benefit as the public mood is anything but happy at the UPA's choice of the President.</b> There are reports of sugar scams, bank fraud and a murder mystery, with dynastic attachments. Brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, etc - all have allegedly benefited from the sugar factory and the bank at the expense of the Government and the poor, the weak and the deprived whose meagre savings have been devoured by family loans. This scandal will not go away and, sadly, in an era of coalition Governments, where governance is being sacrificed by asset distribution among family members and close associates, this is yet another blow to political respect and authority.
<b>The Left will defend its historic blunder, but it will pay a very heavy price in the future</b>. Millions of poor people take loans from Government banks and other financial institutions. Can they follow the example set by Ms Patil? Accidents take place in politics, but this is a catastrophe and can well result in a resignation as the Opposition and the public dig deeper into the family affairs of the former Rajasthan Governor. <b>This controversy will not go away and while the Congress-led UPA Government has the right numbers, it lacks public credibility and respect. It seems for the first time we will have a "tainted" President.</b>
Politicians like Mr Karan Singh, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Shivraj Patil and Ms Mohsina Kidwai - the list can include another 20 leaders from the Congress - would have bought dignity and grace to the office of the head of state. The Left, more than the Congress, is responsible for this unfortunate situation. My assessment is that when the blame-game starts, it is the Left that will be held responsible for this catastrophe, as Ms Sonia Gandhi and the Congress stood firm on Mr Shivraj Patil's name till such time it was politically possible to do so. The comrades can claim that "due diligence" was the responsibility of the Congress, but as things stand, it is the Left which vetoed Mr Shivraj Patil and rejected Mr Karan Singh.
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As far as the presidential election is concerned, the institution of the President has been sullied. Sadly, the allegations against Ms Pratibha Patil and her family members, based on Government records, cannot be suppressed and will result in legal issues. Though the contours of national politics may result in the UNPA abstaining from voting in the presidential election to protect its minority vote, this will be a temporary reprieve for Ms Patil and her mentors. The attack will come after the election is over and the Opposition parties have a 'gold mine' under their belt, which could be a major issue for all future elections.
<b>The UPA will resist every move to take action but documentary evidence is coming from the Congress itself and there are hundreds of pages of official records on defaults.</b> The Congress and the Left parties have a big problem for future and will eventually blame each other as the situation goes out of control. <b>One wonders how long will the judiciary remain silent on the issue. </b>
The UPA, the UNPA and the NDA will fight for power in the 2009 general election and, sadly for the country, the office of the President will be a major issue. After all, Ms Pratibha Patil has denied the allegations, but given no detailed explanation on the charges levelled against her family members
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link
Arun Nehru
The UPA's presidential candidate, Ms Pratibha Patil, is likely to win the election, but we will have a 'tainted' President. Few, if any, in the immediate future will claim credit for selecting her after everyone else was rejected by the Left, even though many of them had merit and ability.<b> Indeed, the Communist parties have committed another historic blunder. </b>
<b>The loyal media gives a secular, non-secular twist to the whole episode, but this will yield little benefit as the public mood is anything but happy at the UPA's choice of the President.</b> There are reports of sugar scams, bank fraud and a murder mystery, with dynastic attachments. Brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, etc - all have allegedly benefited from the sugar factory and the bank at the expense of the Government and the poor, the weak and the deprived whose meagre savings have been devoured by family loans. This scandal will not go away and, sadly, in an era of coalition Governments, where governance is being sacrificed by asset distribution among family members and close associates, this is yet another blow to political respect and authority.
<b>The Left will defend its historic blunder, but it will pay a very heavy price in the future</b>. Millions of poor people take loans from Government banks and other financial institutions. Can they follow the example set by Ms Patil? Accidents take place in politics, but this is a catastrophe and can well result in a resignation as the Opposition and the public dig deeper into the family affairs of the former Rajasthan Governor. <b>This controversy will not go away and while the Congress-led UPA Government has the right numbers, it lacks public credibility and respect. It seems for the first time we will have a "tainted" President.</b>
Politicians like Mr Karan Singh, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Shivraj Patil and Ms Mohsina Kidwai - the list can include another 20 leaders from the Congress - would have bought dignity and grace to the office of the head of state. The Left, more than the Congress, is responsible for this unfortunate situation. My assessment is that when the blame-game starts, it is the Left that will be held responsible for this catastrophe, as Ms Sonia Gandhi and the Congress stood firm on Mr Shivraj Patil's name till such time it was politically possible to do so. The comrades can claim that "due diligence" was the responsibility of the Congress, but as things stand, it is the Left which vetoed Mr Shivraj Patil and rejected Mr Karan Singh.
................................
As far as the presidential election is concerned, the institution of the President has been sullied. Sadly, the allegations against Ms Pratibha Patil and her family members, based on Government records, cannot be suppressed and will result in legal issues. Though the contours of national politics may result in the UNPA abstaining from voting in the presidential election to protect its minority vote, this will be a temporary reprieve for Ms Patil and her mentors. The attack will come after the election is over and the Opposition parties have a 'gold mine' under their belt, which could be a major issue for all future elections.
<b>The UPA will resist every move to take action but documentary evidence is coming from the Congress itself and there are hundreds of pages of official records on defaults.</b> The Congress and the Left parties have a big problem for future and will eventually blame each other as the situation goes out of control. <b>One wonders how long will the judiciary remain silent on the issue. </b>
The UPA, the UNPA and the NDA will fight for power in the 2009 general election and, sadly for the country, the office of the President will be a major issue. After all, Ms Pratibha Patil has denied the allegations, but given no detailed explanation on the charges levelled against her family members
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