Mashallah. If Zaradari can prove himself to be even half as good as Sonia Gandhi, then Pakistan will indeed have even greater future. :k:
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/opinion/opinion/sonia-inspires-asif.aspx
**Sonia inspires Asif **
Kuldip Nayar
I WANT to be a Sonia Gandhi," says Asif Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party. The remark is no compliment to either Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Congress president Sonia Gandhi. But both should realise the significance of the remark.
In Pakistan, too, the perception is that Sonia is the backseat driver while Manmohan Singh sits at the wheel. Any dilemma elicits the stock question: Do you know 10 Janpath? This is where the buck stops. Those close to this address get appointments, even if unwarranted. It is a trait Mrs Gandhi has inherited from her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, who destroyed institutions to such an extent that they have not yet recovered.
I know Manmohan Singh commands great respect in the world of economics. His integrity is beyond reproach. Even his worst critics are full of praise for his ability. Still he often finds himself helpless whenever 10 Janpath is at variance with what he wants done. If he were to decide, he would have dropped some from his council of ministers for their involvement in sordid deals. But he could not do so. Mrs Gandhi did not approve of his recommendations.
It may be that Sonia Gandhi is guided by coalition dharma, compulsions of keeping the flock together and agreeing to what allies demand. But this charitable explanation does not cover the many acts of omission and commission. But it is Manmohan Singh who has paid the price in terms of prestige and power in the last four years since the advent of his government.
“Can you tell this to Soniaji?” is Manmohan Singh’s plea whenever someone complains to him about his corrupt ministers. He knows he cannot ask the person to go, however strongly Manmohan Singh may feel. The Prime Minister sulks but does very little beyond that. He only governs. She rules. This has been the arrangement from day one when the Congress pressed Sonia Gandhi to be Prime Minister and she, in turn, gave him the position. He is indebted to her.
But he does not realise that she had no other dependable person and Manmohan Singh was the obvious choice. She has mastered the art of exercising power from a distance. This amounts to wielding power without being accountable. She enjoys the role. Indeed, she has added new vocabulary to the lexicon of politics: power without responsibility.
When Zardari says he wished to be a Sonia Gandhi, he wants to pull strings from behind the scenes. But this requires a lot of patience, as Sonia Gandhi’s stay of 10 years as party president suggests. Zardari is already tempted by the office of Prime Minister because of the clout and the fanfare that it commands. She has had at least never had second thoughts about the position; nor has she wanted to replace Manmohan Singh.
But it is possible that if the Congress returns to power in the next election, Sonia may herself become Prime Minister. After all, she nearly occupied the office some years ago when Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav did not support her with 13 crucial votes that would have given her a majority in the Lok Sabha. Since then, she must have realised the difficult role Manmohan Singh has played. He has acted as a shield to save her the embarrassment of facing critics.
Jawaharlal Nehru was particular about the sanctity of his office. U.N. Dheber was then the Congress president. Nehru had to combine the post of party president with the office of Prime Minister because he found a parallel line of authority developing. Mrs Indira Gandhi held dual positions of Prime Minister and Congress president from the beginning of her rule. She did not want a wrong message to go. Sonia Gandhi has, however, done better. She has concentrated all power, executive and organisational, in herself. Manmohan Singh goes along the way she paves.
The day she designated her son Rahul Gandhi to campaign in the UP election — he was not yet a general secretary of the party — Manmohan Singh said that he (Rahul Gandhi) was “the future of India.” Manmohan Singh’s humility, modesty and simplicity are endearing traits, but his approval of everything that emanates from 10 Janpath has given him the title of a “yes man”. Yet, he plods along sincerely and untiringly. In fact, the four years of tenure Manmohan Singh finishes in May has registered some achievements for the Congress —the Right to Information Act being one of the most laudable.
On the other hand, Sonia Gandhi with all her secular credentials has not fought against communalists as forcibly and relentlessly as was expected. The Congress-led Maharashtra government has not taken any action against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackery although the Justice Srikrishna report had proved his hand in the killing of Muslims in Mumbai some 15 years ago. Bal Thackeray is now out to revive his parochial agenda of ousting north Indians from Maharashtra. Sonia’s nominee, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Desmukh, has taken things lightly when the very unity of India is challenged.
There is nothing on the horizon to suggest that Sonia Gandhi may drop Manmohan Singh. It looks as if both will go to the polls together. What may create some problems is the rising cost of living that influences the voters. The Congress is losing support on this count and she is worried.
Zardari may not have so many problems to tackle if he wants to be a Sonia Gandhi. But he will prove the point if the Prime Minister he selects consults him before making any move. He has already devalued the office by naming Amin Fahim first and then started thinking of someone else. Sonia has at least backed Manmohan Singh to the hilt. It is another matter that she has used him as her stalking horse.