11-30-2008, 08:15 PM
From Deccan Chronicle
<b>As Sonia looks Leftward, itâs deja vu</b>
By Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
Even as temperatures outside come down, the political atmosphere is getting warmer by the day. No better evidence of this fact can be found than in the recent pronouncements by UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi wherein she evoked the memory of her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi when she presided over the nationalisation of much of Indiaâs banking system four decades ago. <b>Her statements also make it apparent that the rhetoric of the party she leads would from now onwards veer distinctly Leftwards as the 15th general elections draw near.</b>
There have been deep divisions within the Congress on the ideological thrust of the governmentâs economic reforms programme. There is a substantial section in the Congress that has been opposed to the market-friendly policies followed by ardent liberalisers like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Even before the Left stopped supporting the Congress and the UPA following differences over the nuclear agreement between the Indian government and the US, the Communists were critical about what they contend is the governmentâs pro-rich economic policies. After supporting the UPA for four years, the worldwide recession has given the Left an opportunity to claim credit for not allowing the government to integrate the Indian economy more closely with the financial systems of the rest of the world.
<b>Realising that the UPA government and Congress have become unpopular because of inflation â especially the spurt in food prices earlier in the year â and that claims about "inclusive growth" lack substance, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is now clearly trying to occupy the high moral ground of Leftist economic ideology that has traditionally been a domain of the Communists</b>.
Addressing an audience of the well-heeled in the capital on November 21, she sarcastically remarked: "If you allow me the liberty of showing what is to you that proverbial âred rag to the bullâ. Let me take you back to Indira Gandhiâs much reviled bank nationalisation of 40 years ago. Every passing day bears out the wisdom of that decision. Public sector financial institutions have given our economy the resilience we are now witnessing in the face of the economic slowdown⦠We will not be thrown off-course by the winds buffeting us from abroadâ¦"
Lest she offend her PM too much, she quickly clarified: "There is no need for over-reaction, let alone for panic. There is no need for us to get back into the era of controls. At the same time we cannot allow things to spin out of control⦠In the changed scenario, liberalisation must be pursued within a framework of sensible but not heavy-handed regulation".
Then she went full-blast: "What concerns us most today is that this economic upheaval could grievously affect the most vulnerable sections of our society⦠The poor have had nothing to with the hubris of the rich. Their lives are spent close to the edge, simply trying to make their ends meet after a hard dayâs toil.
They have nothing to do with the fancy-sounding financial instruments â derivatives and credit default swaps â that have ensnared so many and which very few even fully understand... Should they then become the victims of the unchecked greed of bankers and businessmen? Should the avarice of a few be allowed to inflict misery on the many?"
The tone and tenor of Mrs Sonia Gandhiâs speech was reminiscent of the dominant discourse in Indian politics during the 1960s and 1970s. Indira Gandhiâs 1971âs "garibi hatao" slogan was resurrected recently as "Congress ka haath, garib ke saath" and later modified to "Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath".
Over the last five years, particularly in the run-up to the 14th general elections, there has been a Leftward shift in the Congress partyâs public stance. Mrs Sonia Gandhi was, in any case, perceived to be more "Left of centre" than the PM and the FM on economic policy issues. It is common knowledge that she played a crucial role in ensuring the enactment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act despite the reservations of quite a few important functionaries in the government.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi is today clearly trying to follow in her mother-in-lawâs footsteps. Indira Gandhi headed the Union government in New Delhi for the first time on January 24, 1966, after her father and Indiaâs first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
She split the party three years later to establish the Congress(I), as also her supremacy. She successfully projected herself as an upholder of socialistic values while painting her opponents within the Congress as those in favour of a conservative status quo.
Her "garibi hatao" slogan caught the imagination of the people as did her stance on issues like bank nationalisation, abolition of privy purses, and land reforms.
Over the decades, many political analysts have argued that Indira Gandhiâs socialism was a sham and that her Leftist slogans were just a ploy to help her marginalise her opponents within the old guard of the Congress party or the so-called "syndicate". But this has not prevented successive Congress leaders from emulating her.
While her husband was alive, Mrs Sonia Gandhiâs aversion to politics was well known. One writer (Nicholas Nugent, Rajiv Gandhi â Son of a Dynasty) claimed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had even threatened to divorce Rajiv if he ever entered politics. Rajiv commented on this later saying Sonia felt she would be losing him.
Another writer (Tariq Ali, An Indian Dynasty â The Story of the Nehru-Gandhi Family) wrote that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had at one point told a friend that she would rather have her children beg in the streets than have Rajiv join politics. Circumstances chose otherwise.
<b>The transformation of Indiraâs daughter-in-law as a pucca desi politician is now complete.</b>
<i>Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is an educator and a commentator based in New Delhi</i>
<b>As Sonia looks Leftward, itâs deja vu</b>
By Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
Even as temperatures outside come down, the political atmosphere is getting warmer by the day. No better evidence of this fact can be found than in the recent pronouncements by UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi wherein she evoked the memory of her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi when she presided over the nationalisation of much of Indiaâs banking system four decades ago. <b>Her statements also make it apparent that the rhetoric of the party she leads would from now onwards veer distinctly Leftwards as the 15th general elections draw near.</b>
There have been deep divisions within the Congress on the ideological thrust of the governmentâs economic reforms programme. There is a substantial section in the Congress that has been opposed to the market-friendly policies followed by ardent liberalisers like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Even before the Left stopped supporting the Congress and the UPA following differences over the nuclear agreement between the Indian government and the US, the Communists were critical about what they contend is the governmentâs pro-rich economic policies. After supporting the UPA for four years, the worldwide recession has given the Left an opportunity to claim credit for not allowing the government to integrate the Indian economy more closely with the financial systems of the rest of the world.
<b>Realising that the UPA government and Congress have become unpopular because of inflation â especially the spurt in food prices earlier in the year â and that claims about "inclusive growth" lack substance, Mrs Sonia Gandhi is now clearly trying to occupy the high moral ground of Leftist economic ideology that has traditionally been a domain of the Communists</b>.
Addressing an audience of the well-heeled in the capital on November 21, she sarcastically remarked: "If you allow me the liberty of showing what is to you that proverbial âred rag to the bullâ. Let me take you back to Indira Gandhiâs much reviled bank nationalisation of 40 years ago. Every passing day bears out the wisdom of that decision. Public sector financial institutions have given our economy the resilience we are now witnessing in the face of the economic slowdown⦠We will not be thrown off-course by the winds buffeting us from abroadâ¦"
Lest she offend her PM too much, she quickly clarified: "There is no need for over-reaction, let alone for panic. There is no need for us to get back into the era of controls. At the same time we cannot allow things to spin out of control⦠In the changed scenario, liberalisation must be pursued within a framework of sensible but not heavy-handed regulation".
Then she went full-blast: "What concerns us most today is that this economic upheaval could grievously affect the most vulnerable sections of our society⦠The poor have had nothing to with the hubris of the rich. Their lives are spent close to the edge, simply trying to make their ends meet after a hard dayâs toil.
They have nothing to do with the fancy-sounding financial instruments â derivatives and credit default swaps â that have ensnared so many and which very few even fully understand... Should they then become the victims of the unchecked greed of bankers and businessmen? Should the avarice of a few be allowed to inflict misery on the many?"
The tone and tenor of Mrs Sonia Gandhiâs speech was reminiscent of the dominant discourse in Indian politics during the 1960s and 1970s. Indira Gandhiâs 1971âs "garibi hatao" slogan was resurrected recently as "Congress ka haath, garib ke saath" and later modified to "Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath".
Over the last five years, particularly in the run-up to the 14th general elections, there has been a Leftward shift in the Congress partyâs public stance. Mrs Sonia Gandhi was, in any case, perceived to be more "Left of centre" than the PM and the FM on economic policy issues. It is common knowledge that she played a crucial role in ensuring the enactment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act despite the reservations of quite a few important functionaries in the government.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi is today clearly trying to follow in her mother-in-lawâs footsteps. Indira Gandhi headed the Union government in New Delhi for the first time on January 24, 1966, after her father and Indiaâs first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
She split the party three years later to establish the Congress(I), as also her supremacy. She successfully projected herself as an upholder of socialistic values while painting her opponents within the Congress as those in favour of a conservative status quo.
Her "garibi hatao" slogan caught the imagination of the people as did her stance on issues like bank nationalisation, abolition of privy purses, and land reforms.
Over the decades, many political analysts have argued that Indira Gandhiâs socialism was a sham and that her Leftist slogans were just a ploy to help her marginalise her opponents within the old guard of the Congress party or the so-called "syndicate". But this has not prevented successive Congress leaders from emulating her.
While her husband was alive, Mrs Sonia Gandhiâs aversion to politics was well known. One writer (Nicholas Nugent, Rajiv Gandhi â Son of a Dynasty) claimed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had even threatened to divorce Rajiv if he ever entered politics. Rajiv commented on this later saying Sonia felt she would be losing him.
Another writer (Tariq Ali, An Indian Dynasty â The Story of the Nehru-Gandhi Family) wrote that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had at one point told a friend that she would rather have her children beg in the streets than have Rajiv join politics. Circumstances chose otherwise.
<b>The transformation of Indiraâs daughter-in-law as a pucca desi politician is now complete.</b>
<i>Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is an educator and a commentator based in New Delhi</i>