But why do I ask if the Congress is a dictatorial party? The question is what is dictatorship. In simple terms something that someone wants to do not giving a damn about the realities or the consequences. That's exactly what the Congress wants to do in UP. Or should I say Sonia Gandhi wants to do with Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Congress president wants Mulayam ejected out of his chief ministers chair in UP. Whatever be the cost.
It's a rivalry that is almost a decade old. Circa 1998. Lok Sabha elections over. Sonia Gandhi goes to Rashtrapati Bhavan with her team of advisors. She is beaming. She thinks she has kept the Gandhi tradition alive of ruling India. On her way out of Rashtrapati Bhavan, reporters ask her, " Madam are you confident of becoming the Prime Minister?" Pat comes the reply, " Of course, we have 272, and we expect more." It's a dialogue, which she has lived to regret. Because in exactly 24 hours since she claimed that she had the majority in Lok Sabha to become the Prime Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav had thrown a spanner in her attempts. Having promised to support her initially, he realised he couldn't be seen to supporting a Videshi Bahu. From then on, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have been sworn enemies.
The animosity increased, as one time Staunch Gandhi loyalist, actor Amitabh Bachan gravitated towards Messrs Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav. He grew so close to them, that in a span of a few months, Amar Singh became his chote Bhai and Mulayam Singh Yadav became his Bade bhai. It was almost as if Big B had backstabbed the Gandhi family. Its another matter altogether, that the biggest icon ever produced in India owes it to Amar Singh (alongwith a prominent industrialist) that his fortunes were back on track. His venture, ABCL ( Amitabh Bacchan corporation limited ) had ended up creating huge financial burdens on him. And who can forget the infamous gate crashing of the congress's Lok Sabha victory celebrations.
Mulayam, with band of 40 MPs, thought, the time had come for him to make the Congress eat out of their hands. But it soon became apparent; that Mulayam was like a groom who was all dressed up, only that there were no suitors for him. The arithmetic of the Lok Sabha was such that it really didn't matter whether the Samajwadi Party supported the congress or not. But since the Samajwadi's best friends, the Left parties were the oxygen for the UPA government, the Samajwadi's also decided to move along with them. But the Congress was just not interested in this group, which displayed Lohia's ideals on their sleeves, but was busy getting themselves photographed with the high and mighty of the country's glitterati. That's why when Amar Singh went to the celebratory dinner at the instance of comrade Sitaram Yechury, he was asked sarcastically, " who asked you to come here? "
Since then, things have only gone worse. Amitabh's wife, Jaya was expelled from the Rajya Sabha for holding an office of profit. Rahul Gandhi's trips to the Gandhi fiefdom of Amethi and Raibareili became synonymous with abusing Mulayam. Law and order, it was observed, was totally absent in Uttar Pradesh.
So now you understand, why Sonia Gandhi wants Mulayam Singh Yadav out. She wants to teach him a lesson. A lesson, which he will never forget. Don't fall for the logic, which is being given by the legal minds of the Congress party. The Supreme Court has ruled that Mulayam's government is unconstitutional from day one, they say. They forget, they were the ones who were supporting this government right from the beginning.
The problem is that the Congress as a political outfit has always had a love affair with dismissing governments and imposing article 356. People still relive the horrors of the emergency imposed in the 70's by Indira Gandhi. It was to become the darkest phase of Indias politics. But now try comparing what has happened in the recent times, in the full glare of TV cameras. Jharkhand, the UPA doesn't have the numbers, yet the governor, Sibte Razi installs UPA's Shibu Soren as the chief Minister. Bihar, Lalu Yadav doesnt have the numbers, he has to prove his majority on the floor of Bihar assembly, but just a day before the trial of strength takes place, governor, Buta Singh, famously known as the Hatchet man, for dismissing state governments, imposes president's rule in Bihar. The maximum cases of dismissal of governments has taken place under the Congress regimes. And why not, after all it is the congress party that has ruled this country for decades.
That's why what we are seeing in UP is extremely disappointing. My editor in chief describes it as the only state in the country, which is politically unstable. And he is right. Without doubt, Mulayam Singh hasn't managed to provide, what we call, an ideal administration. But even that is no excuse for the congress party to indulge in the kind of adventurism that they have embarked upon. Whether they impose president's rule in UP is no more the question. The damage to their credibility has already been done.
So decide for yourself, who is better, the BJP, which is perceived to be communal, or the Congress which seems to be hell bent on bending the very fundamentals of our democracy and constitution
About the AuthorBhupendra Chaubey Bhupendra Chaubey has been a TV journalist for the past 12 years starting his career with NDTV. As a political journalist travelling across the length...Read Morefirst published:February 23, 2007, 19:44 ISTlast updated:February 23, 2007, 19:44 IST
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Is the Congress party a dictatorial party? That's the question that has been troubling me lately. For quite some time now, Indian politics has literally found itself divided along two poles. The so-called secular brigade led by the Congress and the alleged communal forces led by the BJP. If the Congress is accused of wooing the minorities, the BJP is charged of overplaying its hard Hindutva line. It of course is an all-together matter that both these parties cannot boast today of a presence which is pan India. Coalitions, silly, are the mantra of the day.
But why do I ask if the Congress is a dictatorial party? The question is what is dictatorship. In simple terms something that someone wants to do not giving a damn about the realities or the consequences. That's exactly what the Congress wants to do in UP. Or should I say Sonia Gandhi wants to do with Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Congress president wants Mulayam ejected out of his chief ministers chair in UP. Whatever be the cost.
It's a rivalry that is almost a decade old. Circa 1998. Lok Sabha elections over. Sonia Gandhi goes to Rashtrapati Bhavan with her team of advisors. She is beaming. She thinks she has kept the Gandhi tradition alive of ruling India. On her way out of Rashtrapati Bhavan, reporters ask her, " Madam are you confident of becoming the Prime Minister?" Pat comes the reply, " Of course, we have 272, and we expect more." It's a dialogue, which she has lived to regret. Because in exactly 24 hours since she claimed that she had the majority in Lok Sabha to become the Prime Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav had thrown a spanner in her attempts. Having promised to support her initially, he realised he couldn't be seen to supporting a Videshi Bahu. From then on, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have been sworn enemies.
The animosity increased, as one time Staunch Gandhi loyalist, actor Amitabh Bachan gravitated towards Messrs Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh Yadav. He grew so close to them, that in a span of a few months, Amar Singh became his chote Bhai and Mulayam Singh Yadav became his Bade bhai. It was almost as if Big B had backstabbed the Gandhi family. Its another matter altogether, that the biggest icon ever produced in India owes it to Amar Singh (alongwith a prominent industrialist) that his fortunes were back on track. His venture, ABCL ( Amitabh Bacchan corporation limited ) had ended up creating huge financial burdens on him. And who can forget the infamous gate crashing of the congress's Lok Sabha victory celebrations.
Mulayam, with band of 40 MPs, thought, the time had come for him to make the Congress eat out of their hands. But it soon became apparent; that Mulayam was like a groom who was all dressed up, only that there were no suitors for him. The arithmetic of the Lok Sabha was such that it really didn't matter whether the Samajwadi Party supported the congress or not. But since the Samajwadi's best friends, the Left parties were the oxygen for the UPA government, the Samajwadi's also decided to move along with them. But the Congress was just not interested in this group, which displayed Lohia's ideals on their sleeves, but was busy getting themselves photographed with the high and mighty of the country's glitterati. That's why when Amar Singh went to the celebratory dinner at the instance of comrade Sitaram Yechury, he was asked sarcastically, " who asked you to come here? "
Since then, things have only gone worse. Amitabh's wife, Jaya was expelled from the Rajya Sabha for holding an office of profit. Rahul Gandhi's trips to the Gandhi fiefdom of Amethi and Raibareili became synonymous with abusing Mulayam. Law and order, it was observed, was totally absent in Uttar Pradesh.
So now you understand, why Sonia Gandhi wants Mulayam Singh Yadav out. She wants to teach him a lesson. A lesson, which he will never forget. Don't fall for the logic, which is being given by the legal minds of the Congress party. The Supreme Court has ruled that Mulayam's government is unconstitutional from day one, they say. They forget, they were the ones who were supporting this government right from the beginning.
The problem is that the Congress as a political outfit has always had a love affair with dismissing governments and imposing article 356. People still relive the horrors of the emergency imposed in the 70's by Indira Gandhi. It was to become the darkest phase of Indias politics. But now try comparing what has happened in the recent times, in the full glare of TV cameras. Jharkhand, the UPA doesn't have the numbers, yet the governor, Sibte Razi installs UPA's Shibu Soren as the chief Minister. Bihar, Lalu Yadav doesnt have the numbers, he has to prove his majority on the floor of Bihar assembly, but just a day before the trial of strength takes place, governor, Buta Singh, famously known as the Hatchet man, for dismissing state governments, imposes president's rule in Bihar. The maximum cases of dismissal of governments has taken place under the Congress regimes. And why not, after all it is the congress party that has ruled this country for decades.
That's why what we are seeing in UP is extremely disappointing. My editor in chief describes it as the only state in the country, which is politically unstable. And he is right. Without doubt, Mulayam Singh hasn't managed to provide, what we call, an ideal administration. But even that is no excuse for the congress party to indulge in the kind of adventurism that they have embarked upon. Whether they impose president's rule in UP is no more the question. The damage to their credibility has already been done.
So decide for yourself, who is better, the BJP, which is perceived to be communal, or the Congress which seems to be hell bent on bending the very fundamentals of our democracy and constitution
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