Sonia Gandhi – ten year in office : Political AnalysisMIL, Mar 18, 2008. Balaji
Mach 18, 2008 - While Sonia Gandhi observed 10 year in office as Congress President on March 14, 2008, she had imprinted herself in future history books for many reasons and so would think at present about elections 2009 that would test her endurance as a leader of the highest order.
On a flashback many political pundits, branded her a novice against stalwarts like former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and BJP's present Prime Ministerial candidate Lal Krishana Advani. Her foreign-origin and her comparatively less experience in politics are her somewhat drawbacks.
But after 10 years she has steered success in journey with help from many quarters that includes her party members, present PM Manmohan Singh, her daughter and son. But politics is supposedly cruel, precisely a snake-ladder game where prediction of steps could be reason for pitfall. But how she managed to win and from where she would go from here on?
Sonia Gandhi's success root cause is her growing experience in politics which she has been practicing for the last 10 years. It's viewed by experts that since she had witnessed the deaths of her brother-in-law, mother-in-law and her husband from close quarters she rather views politics and politicians to be of unworthy. So every step that she took, had been calculated, out from the thinking of a common man rather than a politician. Though born in Italy, she had thoughts like an ordinary Indian.
Many instances could be taken of her statesmanship in politics right from her entry. Within days after the death of Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991, she was offered both the PM post and Congress President. She declined both the posts religiously, which many viewed as reasons citing her grief over her husband's death.
It's a hard-truth. But she took seven long years to assume the post of captaining the Congress ship that was sinking. Following Rajiv Gandhi's assassination the Congress came to power in the Centre in 1991 under Narashima Rao. But for the occasional mention of Bofors, her name was rarely spelt in public though astrologers had their fingers-crossed for her entry in politics.
Indian politics never witnessed debates on corruption before as during the general elections 1996. The public preferred Atal Behari Vajpayee as better candidate than anyone in the race, including Lal Krishna Advani who was alleged in Hawala case.
But Vajpayee's root to PM was not as easy since people wanted to test his statesmanship, his ability to take India into 21st century and so denying him any sort of majority both 1996 and 1998 general elections. Between two-three years, India say three PM's with two namely Deve Gowda and I K Gujral getting outside help from the Congress.
Sonia Gandhi was mute spectator to the entire drama though her name got well along with the stage. Deve Gowda alleged that Congress withdrew support to the government due to alleged push-ups in Bofors case while Congress had to withdraw support to Gujral's government due to his posture of keeping Dravida Munnetra Kazgham in the cabinet, though DMK was held responsible for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by the Jain Commission.
Elections were held in 1998 and before that the entry of Sonia Gandhi was announced with her support to campaign Congress. Shortly after the elections results Sonia Gandhi took party president ship from 81-year old Sitaram Kesari. Events began to un-fold after her party premiership including debates on her foreign origin that forced senior party leaders like Sharad Pawar and Sangma to resign.
In the 1999 general elections Congress won the least number of seats ever in it's history while Sonia Gandhi announced her arrival in parliament by winning both Amethi and much talked about Barely constituency. But the general election, thanks to Kargil and the sympathy that people had in Vajpayee after he lost the confidence motion by one vote, BJP returned to power with majority derived from pre-poll alliance.
The dawn of the new century heralded the arrival of Vajpayee's booked ticked in history book and India's emergence as a nuclear and economic power. The general elections held in 2004 brought Congress to power after nearly a decade but still Sonia Gandhi was a reluctant performer. By renouncing the PM post and presenting the chair of PM to economic wizard Manmohan Singh, she asked the people to view her in same breath as the first "Gandhi" whom she had not met once, supposedly the father of Nation, rather like her husband Rajiv Gandhi or mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi's legacy would be carried forward by charismatic Rahul or galvanizing Priyanka Gandhi. But her place in history books would be secured for not holding the post but by renouncing it.
Lastly, Sonia Gandhi's relation to India could be summarized. Once a Pakistani journalist summoned that many problems there, is due to lack of leaders but luckily for India, it could produce not only leaders of stature like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Vajapayee and Advani but could import a leader like Sonia Gandhi from other country who would leave her legacy with "Gandhi" surname and so would pass on that name to generations. This article only represents author's viewpointmohanbalaji20032004@yahoo.co.in