The New Government

Until now the country had a male Ghandhi, from now onward many would say that we have a female Ghandhi too. This might be an exaggeration but none can deny the fact that by denying the post of PM Mrs. Sonia Gandhi has set up yet another great example of sacrifice. Indeed in the last few months she has behaved with amazing grace. While her opponents unleashed a vicious campaign against her foreign origin and indulged in all sorts of personal attack and abuses, she stood tall by refusing to hit the opposition below the belt. She was aggressive and often attacked the NDA’s policies but never stooped to make abusive personal comments against her opponents. All these show the great character she possesses.

Mrs. Gandhi’s abdication of the throne is not merely an act of sainthood. Indeed it has serious and far-reaching political implications. If Manmohan Singh successfully runs the government for five years, she would certainly be glorified as Raj Mata. Meanwhile she and her two charismatic children will find enough time to strengthen the organizational structure of the Congress which has specially become very weak in U.P. The focus would also be very much on rural India which the NDA government had neglected utterly. Indications available so far suggest that Congress would try hard to win back its old vote bank of Dalits, Muslims and the upper castes. If Mrs. Gandhi and her children succeed in their programme one of her two siblings will surely become the Prime Minister of the country.

The new government is scheduled to take oath on 22.5.2004. Right now it is undergoing the labour pain associated with coalition politics and governance. Meanwhile the PM designate Dr. Manmohan Singh has spelled out his priorities. He has made all the right noises and one hopes he succeeds in his mission. It is quite clear that he has learnt his lessons from the failure of the NDA government. And therefore he would work for economic development with a human face. In other words he would put a brake on mindless privatization and disinvestment which was the hallmark of the fallen NDA government.

Manmohan’s pledge to carry on the previous government’s policy of normalizing relations with Pakistan is specially welcome. The fact that he was born in a village now in Pakistan should doubly encourage and inspire him to better our relations with Pakistan. There is an apprehension that a Congress government can not have good relations with Pakistan for two reasons. First, it has the bitter memory of its failure to prevent the Partition. Second, it fears the backlash of the Hindu right if it ever tries to be on good terms with Pakistan. However, both these factors should not bother the new PM. Harping on a better past would only hinder our future progress. And now there is no reason to fear the Hindu right, for its own blue-eyed PM, Mr. Vajpayee had set the ball rolling for better Indo-Pak relations.

The new government would immediately be required to address another delicate foreign policy matter. Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians is going on unhindered. The previous government had unwittingly tilted towards Tel Aviv and antagonized the Arab world. Accepted there is growing military cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv but should it also necessarily make us blind to Israel’s inhuman atrocities against the Palestinians. Likewise should we keep silence over what is happening in Iraq? Why should we not condemn the American torture of Iraqi prisoners or even demand the immediate withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq which they have occupied illegally? Indeed Iraq offers yet another opportunity for India to become the leader of the third world.

On Ayodha the PM designate stated what many others have already said: the judicial settlement. However, his pledge that no other Gujarat would be permitted is reassuring. As in the past, during the recent election campaigns, too, the Muslims were much in news. Being over 12 per cent they are, no doubt, important in electoral politics. Sadly the Congress has used the Muslims only as a vote bank. One hopes the trend will be reversed and concrete steps will be taken for their educational and economic development. This is what the Muslim community needs more than any thing at this moment.

[May, 2004]