12-12-2005, 07:11 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>One too many power centre </b>
Pioneer.com
Arun Nehru
Former Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh has finally resigned from the Union Cabinet. Despite his exit, chaos prevails within the Congress because of the existence of dual power centres. <b>With Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi calling the shots, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has virtually no power to act on his own accord.</b>
On the other hand, Ms Sonia Gandhi's decisions lack accountability and are far removed from public scrutiny. The 'confusion' within the party is obvious going by the conflicting media statements made by Congressmen in the past one month.
The turmoil was evident as Congress spokespersons threatened to sue the United Nations for naming their party and Mr Natwar Singh as non-contractual beneficiaries in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scam. Unfortunately, things were allowed to go out of hand like a 'comic' drama. But eventually the Congress will have to pay a heavy price for it.
Any political issue requires quick responses, not twisted legal arguments by clever lawyers. After the defeat of the Rashtriya Janata Dal/Congress/Left alliance in Bihar and the revival of NDA in the State, the message has still not been understood. The making of a Third Front is imminent and the 'weakness' of the UPA obvious.
Â
I have written for the past one year that dual power centres cannot function and there is a need for an authoritative 'full time' Prime Minister. <b>Unfortunately, the entire drama concerning the Volcker Committee report has put a question mark on the stature and relevance of Mr Manmohan Singh.</b>
<b>There have been occasions in 'dynastic politics' when senior leaders have had to 'fall upon the sword' to protect the dynastic head who was credited with everything good</b>. After all, followers must pay for their errors.
In this case, too, however hard Mr Natwar Singh and his family may 'resist' the charge against them of involvement in the Oil-for-Food scandal, they will be forced to prove to the authorities that it was an act of individual indiscretion and not a party matter. There is no place for sentiments in politics. Indeed, the matter is far from over as more dust is going to be kicked up on the issue in the days to come.
There will be numerous stories of Mr Natwar Singh's excesses, most of which would be leaked by the MEA and his many 'friends' in the Congress. The extent of these revelations will depend on how he is treated by the party in the immediate future and the manner in which he reacts to the investigations.
The Opposition has a major issue with which it can rap the knuckles of the ruling coalition. However, the investigations into the Oil-for-Food scam can only be conducted by the CBI as an FIR has to be filed to obtain details of bank accounts and diversion of funds to Switzerland and Jordan.<b> The situation has the potential of turning quite ugly.</b>
While the Opposition will try to drag the name of Ms Sonia Gandhi into the Volcker affair the aim of the Congress would be to project that individuals acted on their own and the party was not involved, the credibility of such a line be darned!
Indeed, the party's image with the public has been damaged considerably. In fact, <b>Ms Sonia Gandhi, in order to maintain her position and to protect the party's image, will have little option but to ensure that truth is brought out to the public at large as early as possible</b>. At least this will be the course of action if the party is not involved.
There are pitfalls at each level and things will be difficult to predict for the immediate future. All these events have political ramifications. However, it is unfortunate that ultimately it is the individual and his family who suffer. One only hopes politicians will not act against each other out of spite or malice.
The BJP has parted company with Ms Uma Bharati. In fact, the 'timing' was almost perfect with the oil scam and Amitabh Bachchan's illness hogging the media limelight. The NDA's victory in Bihar has forced a closing in of ranks between the warring factions of the RSS and the BJP.
The change in Madhya Pradesh, where Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan has been appointed the Chief Minister, was smooth and with little dissent.<b> It was handled firmly by BJP leaders like Mr Arun Jaitly and Mr Pramod Mahajan. It is evident that the party is showing signs of recovery as its rival</b>, the Congress, suffered not only a heavy electoral defeat in Bihar but also received a dent in its image owing to the Volcker Committee report.
<b>The BJP has virtually nothing at stake in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is left with only a few months to organise itself for the elections in Assam, Uttaranchal and Punjab</b>. While in Assam an alliance with the AGP can sweep the Congress out of power, in Uttaranchal I predict a landslide victory for the BJP. On the other hand, in Punjab, the competition is stiff and the verdict may tilt towards the Akali Dal/BJP combination and the Congress may suffer a string of defeats.
The BJP needs alliances and these will materialise naturally as the mood of the electorate changes. However, the party has a great deal of work to do in States like Uttar Pradesh where it has shrunk from 62 seats to 10 in the last three general elections.
The political turmoil over the Oil-for-Food scam has lessons for all of us. The Congress's spokespersons changed their statements on a day to day basis, as events overtook their decisions. The Prime Minister lost heavily in terms of credibility. It is time he understood that 'servility' and fight for 'survival' are no substitutes for decisive leadership.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Ms Sonia Gandhi and her family may enjoy the 'fruits of office' but they tend to shy away from governance and taking responsibility. This does not exactlly make for credible leadership that both the UPA and the country need.</span>
The elections in Bihar were a disaster for the UPA Government, which had ordered the dissolution of the State Assembly. The question is, will Ms Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul lead from the front in West Bengal and Kerala, where the party is heading towards a humungous drubbing?
Moreover, does the Congress have any worthwhile strategy for Tamil Nadu, which suffers from one natural calamity after another, and the only visible political outfit seems to be the ADMK? The ruling coalition at the Centre has a dozen ministers with important portfolios from Tamil Nadu.
However, where is the Sonia Gandhi-led grand coalition in the State to which the people of Tamil Nadu are looking for support? After all, Tamil Nadu elections are a mere six months away.
Political battles are not any different from real ones. They too require leaders to lead from the front. This is what is needed in the Congress today. The Prime Minister cannot be a proxy of a hidden power-base. Also, political events cannot be manipulated by a few friendly media barons and editors or by select officials. Politics has moved beyond the control of a select coterie.
Coalition politics is here to stay and no regional leader can survive unless he or she has the ability to win elections. <b>It is my assessment that things will be difficult for both the BJP and the Congress unless they have charismatic leaders who lead by personal example and have the ability to reverse electoral trends</b>. Numbers determine coalition patterns and numbers will favour the regional forces.
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Pioneer.com
Arun Nehru
Former Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh has finally resigned from the Union Cabinet. Despite his exit, chaos prevails within the Congress because of the existence of dual power centres. <b>With Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi calling the shots, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has virtually no power to act on his own accord.</b>
On the other hand, Ms Sonia Gandhi's decisions lack accountability and are far removed from public scrutiny. The 'confusion' within the party is obvious going by the conflicting media statements made by Congressmen in the past one month.
The turmoil was evident as Congress spokespersons threatened to sue the United Nations for naming their party and Mr Natwar Singh as non-contractual beneficiaries in the Iraq Oil-for-Food scam. Unfortunately, things were allowed to go out of hand like a 'comic' drama. But eventually the Congress will have to pay a heavy price for it.
Any political issue requires quick responses, not twisted legal arguments by clever lawyers. After the defeat of the Rashtriya Janata Dal/Congress/Left alliance in Bihar and the revival of NDA in the State, the message has still not been understood. The making of a Third Front is imminent and the 'weakness' of the UPA obvious.
Â
I have written for the past one year that dual power centres cannot function and there is a need for an authoritative 'full time' Prime Minister. <b>Unfortunately, the entire drama concerning the Volcker Committee report has put a question mark on the stature and relevance of Mr Manmohan Singh.</b>
<b>There have been occasions in 'dynastic politics' when senior leaders have had to 'fall upon the sword' to protect the dynastic head who was credited with everything good</b>. After all, followers must pay for their errors.
In this case, too, however hard Mr Natwar Singh and his family may 'resist' the charge against them of involvement in the Oil-for-Food scandal, they will be forced to prove to the authorities that it was an act of individual indiscretion and not a party matter. There is no place for sentiments in politics. Indeed, the matter is far from over as more dust is going to be kicked up on the issue in the days to come.
There will be numerous stories of Mr Natwar Singh's excesses, most of which would be leaked by the MEA and his many 'friends' in the Congress. The extent of these revelations will depend on how he is treated by the party in the immediate future and the manner in which he reacts to the investigations.
The Opposition has a major issue with which it can rap the knuckles of the ruling coalition. However, the investigations into the Oil-for-Food scam can only be conducted by the CBI as an FIR has to be filed to obtain details of bank accounts and diversion of funds to Switzerland and Jordan.<b> The situation has the potential of turning quite ugly.</b>
While the Opposition will try to drag the name of Ms Sonia Gandhi into the Volcker affair the aim of the Congress would be to project that individuals acted on their own and the party was not involved, the credibility of such a line be darned!
Indeed, the party's image with the public has been damaged considerably. In fact, <b>Ms Sonia Gandhi, in order to maintain her position and to protect the party's image, will have little option but to ensure that truth is brought out to the public at large as early as possible</b>. At least this will be the course of action if the party is not involved.
There are pitfalls at each level and things will be difficult to predict for the immediate future. All these events have political ramifications. However, it is unfortunate that ultimately it is the individual and his family who suffer. One only hopes politicians will not act against each other out of spite or malice.
The BJP has parted company with Ms Uma Bharati. In fact, the 'timing' was almost perfect with the oil scam and Amitabh Bachchan's illness hogging the media limelight. The NDA's victory in Bihar has forced a closing in of ranks between the warring factions of the RSS and the BJP.
The change in Madhya Pradesh, where Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan has been appointed the Chief Minister, was smooth and with little dissent.<b> It was handled firmly by BJP leaders like Mr Arun Jaitly and Mr Pramod Mahajan. It is evident that the party is showing signs of recovery as its rival</b>, the Congress, suffered not only a heavy electoral defeat in Bihar but also received a dent in its image owing to the Volcker Committee report.
<b>The BJP has virtually nothing at stake in West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is left with only a few months to organise itself for the elections in Assam, Uttaranchal and Punjab</b>. While in Assam an alliance with the AGP can sweep the Congress out of power, in Uttaranchal I predict a landslide victory for the BJP. On the other hand, in Punjab, the competition is stiff and the verdict may tilt towards the Akali Dal/BJP combination and the Congress may suffer a string of defeats.
The BJP needs alliances and these will materialise naturally as the mood of the electorate changes. However, the party has a great deal of work to do in States like Uttar Pradesh where it has shrunk from 62 seats to 10 in the last three general elections.
The political turmoil over the Oil-for-Food scam has lessons for all of us. The Congress's spokespersons changed their statements on a day to day basis, as events overtook their decisions. The Prime Minister lost heavily in terms of credibility. It is time he understood that 'servility' and fight for 'survival' are no substitutes for decisive leadership.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Ms Sonia Gandhi and her family may enjoy the 'fruits of office' but they tend to shy away from governance and taking responsibility. This does not exactlly make for credible leadership that both the UPA and the country need.</span>
The elections in Bihar were a disaster for the UPA Government, which had ordered the dissolution of the State Assembly. The question is, will Ms Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul lead from the front in West Bengal and Kerala, where the party is heading towards a humungous drubbing?
Moreover, does the Congress have any worthwhile strategy for Tamil Nadu, which suffers from one natural calamity after another, and the only visible political outfit seems to be the ADMK? The ruling coalition at the Centre has a dozen ministers with important portfolios from Tamil Nadu.
However, where is the Sonia Gandhi-led grand coalition in the State to which the people of Tamil Nadu are looking for support? After all, Tamil Nadu elections are a mere six months away.
Political battles are not any different from real ones. They too require leaders to lead from the front. This is what is needed in the Congress today. The Prime Minister cannot be a proxy of a hidden power-base. Also, political events cannot be manipulated by a few friendly media barons and editors or by select officials. Politics has moved beyond the control of a select coterie.
Coalition politics is here to stay and no regional leader can survive unless he or she has the ability to win elections. <b>It is my assessment that things will be difficult for both the BJP and the Congress unless they have charismatic leaders who lead by personal example and have the ability to reverse electoral trends</b>. Numbers determine coalition patterns and numbers will favour the regional forces.
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