We've Sonia at Rajiv's 'request'

We’ve Sonia at Rajiv’s 'request’

By Amba Charan Vashishth

“Myself and Rajiv (Gandhi) were never interested in politics. Rajiv joined politics on the request of Indiraji, while I joined it at Rajiv’s request”.
This is what INDIA TODAY (August 13 2007 issue) quotes Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as having said.

There is no dispute as far as the first part of the statement of both Sonia and Rajiv “never (being) interested in politics” is concerned. But it is the second part that “Rajiv joined politics on the request of Indiraji“ and me “at Rajiv’s request” that rattles the ears.

It is true that after the death of Sanjay Gandhi whom Mrs. Indira Gandhi had groomed as her political heir in preference to the ‘disinterested’ Rajiv, she did make the latter reluctantly agree to quit his Indian Airlines job as pilot and join politics as she wanted the mantle of political leadership fall on her own son and none else. But to say it was at his mother’s “request” may be too much given the Indian traditions and culture. The word “request” she used may be because of her not being that much acquainted with the Indian traditions and ethos. In India mothers do not request their sons, the former only wish or desire which need not be expressed in so many words. Sons come to understand their parents’ wish in the normal course because of the family chord of understanding. It is the sons who act to fulfil the wishes of their parents.
But her claim that she joined politics “at Rajiv’s request” looks quite incongruous.

Those who know the facts know that immediately after the unfortunate assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi refused to jump into politics join and lead the Congress Party despite the likes of Arjun Singh and others making numerous pleadings before her at 10 Janpath. If it genuinely was Rajiv’s ‘request’, nothing could have been a better tribute from her than to instantly ‘join politics’ in fulfillment of his ‘request’ and enrol as a Congress worker (leader) to accomplish the work left unfinished by Rajiv’s sudden and untimely death.

On the contrary, it was only in March 1996 (about five years after Rajiv’s death) that she ultimately relented and joined as an ordinary Congress worker. It was a different matter that immediately after that she was catapulted to the centrestage of Congress politics and became the Congress President consequent upon the then Congress President, Sitaram Kesri, having been made to make a departure most humiliating for a person of his stature.

So the question still remains: When did Rajiv “request” her to join politics?
If he did ‘request’ her in his life time, she should have given Rajiv the pleasure of acting as per his ‘request’ when he was alive. Did she have some reservations then? Further, why did she wait for five years after his death to accede to his ‘request’?

Therefore, it remains a mystery as to when did Rajiv ‘request’ her to join politics and whether her decision to join politics was genuinely prompted by Rajiv’s ‘request’.

At the time of resigning as MP as also Chairman of the National Advisory Council after some opposition parties had filed a memorandum with the President of India for her disqualification on account of her holding an office of profit, she said: 'I have stated earlier also that I am in politics and public life not for my selfish ends …I have taken a pledge to serve the people of the country and to protect secular ideals. “

To cherish and realize these high ideals, she should have joined politics much earlier and, at least, the moment Rajiv made a ‘request’ to do so. Why she didn’t is anybody’s guess! ***

My inviolable right to hypocrisy

My inviolable right to hypocrisy

By Amba Charan Vashishth
Words: 922

Delivering a lecture on “Living Politics: What India has Taught Me?” at Tilburg (The Netherlands) on June 9, 2007 Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, said: “The plain fact is that power for itself has never held any attraction for me”. Explaining why she turned down the prime ministership after being unanimously elected as the party leader in Parliament, she said”…I always knew in my heart that if I ever found myself in that position I would decline the post of Prime Minister…..it was dictated by my inner voice…Indeed that voice has been my wisest guide in my political life”.

So far so good, if the lecture was meant for foreign consumption only. But since the text of the speech has trickled down to India, it is difficult to stomach the stuff.
One cannot help recall the events. When the NDA government led by Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was defeated by one vote on the floor of Lok Sabha in May 1999, it was the same Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who as leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party had declared that her party would form a government. According to a BBC report on May 17, the senior Congress leader, Mr Arjun Singh added that Mrs Gandhi had shown "no displeasure or hesitation or protest" at the prospect of becoming prime minister.
Claiming majority she did go to the then President K. R. Narayanan, with a list of her supporters to stake claim to form a stable government. Her family members from Italy had all landed in New Delhi to witness the epoch-making oath taking ceremony. But it was the Samajwadi Party leader. Mulayam Singh, who put a spanner in Mrs. Gandhi’s designs by declaring that he could not support a person of foreign origin to be the Prime Minister. That dashed to the ground all the hopes and dreams of Mrs. Gandhi to be the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy.

Not only that. There was a revolt within the Party on the issue. Three very senior
Congress leaders, Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar wrote a joint letter to Amba Charan Vashishth is a political commentator and on the editorial board of a political fortnightly.


Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on May 16, 1999 that:
-- “It is not possible that a country of 980 million, with a wealth of education, competence and ability, can have anyone other than an Indian, born of Indian soil, to head its government.
-- “We believe that it is our responsibility as Congressmen and political leaders to formally place on record our view and request the CWC and you to consider the … suggestion (that) the Congress manifesto should suggest an amendment to the Constitution of India, to the effect that the offices of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister can only be held by natural born Indian citizens.”

In response to this letter, had Mrs. Sonia Gandhi then declared what she stated at Tilburg now after eight years, she could easily have saved the Congress of the turmoil and split. Perhaps history and outcome of 1999 Lok Sabha elections would have been different. On the contrary, as a counter-offensive she resigned from the post of Congress President in a huff. Her resignation skirted the real issue. This is what she wanted.
The issue raised by these senior Congress leaders was never discussed and instead, the trio was expelled from Congress.
During 2004 Lok Sabha election campaing, Mrs. Gandhi was projected as the Congress candidate for the post of Prime Minister. The people rejected her and did not give Congress an absolute majority to make her Prime Minister. Congress tally of seats (145) was just 7 more than BJP’s (138) while its percentage of votes fell from in 1999 to . Yet Congress did succeed in gobbling up a majority by bringing in those very political groups against whom it had waged a bitter electoral battle. On May 15 she was unanimously elected the Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party which is the sine qua non for being invited to form a government. Later, on May 16, according to The Hindu, she was unanimously "elected" the alliance's prime ministerial candidate at a meeting of the allies and other supporting parties.
On May 18 she met President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam staking her claim to form a government when the President made some queries about support to her. After a 20-minute meeting with President she declared she would meet him tomorrow again. And then after meeting the President, she stunned her supporters and opponents alike by announcing her refusal to be PM. Rest is history.
What made her “inner voice” vocal and know “in my heart that if I ever found myself in that position I would decline the post of Prime Minister” only after meeting President on May 19 is known only to her or the President.
It would be too much to assume that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi was so innocent and ignorant that she didn't know what it meant to be unanimously elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and leader of the alliance which staked claim to form government. If “it was dictated by my inner voice…", why did she not "decline" to get herself elected as leader? On the other hand, she got the Congress constitution amended to provide for the post of a chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party, an office over and above the leaders of Congress in the two houses of Parliament.
I have an inalienable, fundamental right to hypocrisy. I won’t allow anybody however high or low he/she may be to encroach upon my right! ***

My Inviolable Right to Hypocrisy

My inviolable right to hypocrisy

By Amba Charan Vashishth
Words: 922

Delivering a lecture on “Living Politics: What India has Taught Me?” at Tilburg (The Netherlands) on June 9, 2007 Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, said: “The plain fact is that power for itself has never held any attraction for me”. Explaining why she turned down the prime ministership after being unanimously elected as the party leader in Parliament, she said”…I always knew in my heart that if I ever found myself in that position I would decline the post of Prime Minister…..it was dictated by my inner voice…Indeed that voice has been my wisest guide in my political life”.

So far so good, if the lecture was meant for foreign consumption only. But since the text of the speech has trickled down to India, it is difficult to stomach the stuff.
One cannot help recall the events. When the NDA government led by Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was defeated by one vote on the floor of Lok Sabha in May 1999, it was the same Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who as leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party had declared that her party would form a government. According to a BBC report on May 17, the senior Congress leader, Mr Arjun Singh added that Mrs Gandhi had shown "no displeasure or hesitation or protest" at the prospect of becoming prime minister.
Claiming majority she did go to the then President K. R. Narayanan, with a list of her supporters to stake claim to form a stable government. Her family members from Italy had all landed in New Delhi to witness the epoch-making oath taking ceremony. But it was the Samajwadi Party leader. Mulayam Singh, who put a spanner in Mrs. Gandhi’s designs by declaring that he could not support a person of foreign origin to be the Prime Minister. That dashed to the ground all the hopes and dreams of Mrs. Gandhi to be the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy.

Not only that. There was a revolt within the Party on the issue. Three very senior
Congress leaders, Sharad Pawar, P. A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar wrote a joint letter to Amba Charan Vashishth is a political commentator and on the editorial board of a political fortnightly.


Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on May 16, 1999 that:
-- “It is not possible that a country of 980 million, with a wealth of education, competence and ability, can have anyone other than an Indian, born of Indian soil, to head its government.
-- “We believe that it is our responsibility as Congressmen and political leaders to formally place on record our view and request the CWC and you to consider the … suggestion (that) the Congress manifesto should suggest an amendment to the Constitution of India, to the effect that the offices of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister can only be held by natural born Indian citizens.”

In response to this letter, had Mrs. Sonia Gandhi then declared what she stated at Tilburg now after eight years, she could easily have saved the Congress of the turmoil and split. Perhaps history and outcome of 1999 Lok Sabha elections would have been different. On the contrary, as a counter-offensive she resigned from the post of Congress President in a huff. Her resignation skirted the real issue. This is what she wanted.
The issue raised by these senior Congress leaders was never discussed and instead, the trio was expelled from Congress.
During 2004 Lok Sabha election campaing, Mrs. Gandhi was projected as the Congress candidate for the post of Prime Minister. The people rejected her and did not give Congress an absolute majority to make her Prime Minister. Congress tally of seats (145) was just 7 more than BJP’s (138) while its percentage of votes fell from in 1999 to . Yet Congress did succeed in gobbling up a majority by bringing in those very political groups against whom it had waged a bitter electoral battle. On May 15 she was unanimously elected the Leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party which is the sine qua non for being invited to form a government. Later, on May 16, according to The Hindu, she was unanimously "elected" the alliance's prime ministerial candidate at a meeting of the allies and other supporting parties.
On May 18 she met President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam staking her claim to form a government when the President made some queries about support to her. After a 20-minute meeting with President she declared she would meet him tomorrow again. And then after meeting the President, she stunned her supporters and opponents alike by announcing her refusal to be PM. Rest is history.
What made her “inner voice” vocal and know “in my heart that if I ever found myself in that position I would decline the post of Prime Minister” only after meeting President on May 19 is known only to her or the President.
It would be too much to assume that Mrs. Sonia Gandhi was so innocent and ignorant that she didn't know what it meant to be unanimously elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and leader of the alliance which staked claim to form government. If “it was dictated by my inner voice…", why did she not "decline" to get herself elected as leader? On the other hand, she got the Congress constitution amended to provide for the post of a chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party, an office over and above the leaders of Congress in the two houses of Parliament.
I have an inalienable, fundamental right to hypocrisy. I won’t allow anybody however high or low he/she may be to encroach upon my right! ***