Needlepoint

They killed Rajiv Gandhi again on July 22

By Amba Charan Vashishth

A mother had a son unemployed. Each day he would roam about to earn something and in the evening return empty handed to the dismay of his distraught mother who was yearning for the day when he would put his earnings in her lap.

One day, he returned all smiling with a bag full of money which he presented to his mother. In disbelief, she put the bag aside and asked, “From where did you earn this much money? This cannot be a hard day’s honest earnings. Tell me the truth”

The son was not expecting this response. He had thought his mother would be damn happy. He kept quiet. The mother started shouting, “Have you robbed somebody? Have you murdered someone to snatch this much money? I am not going to touch it”, she said and kicked the bag away.

This exactly would have been the response of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s proud and virtuous mother if she were alive today. When he would have waved the two-finger victory sign with a broad smile to her, she would certainly have questioned, “How did you achieve this miracle, my son?” She could not have so easily swallowed this wonder of marvelous victory.

When explained that he had robbed the opposition of 24 MPs who cross voted for him or absented from voting in defiance of the party whip, the pious, virtuous lady would certainly have, with a deep sigh, reminded her illustrious, victorious son of Michael de Montaigne’s words: "There are some defeats more triumphant than victories."

Of late, we have turned very permissive. We explain away victories gained through underhand means by subverting the law, puncturing the balloon of morality, kicking the standards of ethics and ignoring the qualms of conscience. Everything is fair in love, war and in politics, we say. Whatever the means, we explain, victory is victory, defeat is defeat. . And that mentality is also the mother of all our troubles in politics.

Some may bestow Dr. Manmohan Singh with the honour of now being a “King Singh” or Opposition Killer who “comes into his own to win” Politicians in India may celebrate this victory which is, in effect, a defeat of the parliamentary democracy in the world’s largest democracy. We have made ourselves a laughing stock of the world by having won a vote of confidence through the weapon of horse-trading. With what face can India claim to be a nation which had, in the ancient past, preached high moral values, standards of ethics and ideals of honesty. No wonder, if tomorrow we may have to import these virtues from abroad.

The Manmohan government victory has put to shame the victory late prime minister Mr. P. V. Narasimharao recorded in 1993 by purchasing three JMM MPs. Mr. Rao was convicted of the crime of bribing the MPs but the MPs got scot free because of the provisions of Article 105 (2) in the Constitution: “No member of Parliament shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in Parliament or any committee thereof, ….” Its interpretation in the case implied that our honourable MPs had the proud ‘privilege’ to be bribed for voting in the House inspired by hefty monetary considerations.

This ugly, notorious example should have stirred the conscience of our lawmakers to plug the loophole and amend the law so that the country had not once again to feel small in the eyes of the world. But who can do it? The lawmakers and the ruling party alone, nobody else. But why should a ruling party do? Every ruling dispensation, particularly in the present era of coalition governments, has a vested interest to let this situation persist. Who knows when a ruling alliance may need this very Rambaan to save its gaddi?

Ironically, it is the illustrious Nehru-Gandhi dynasty presently represented by the mother-son duo of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi taking pride at this great victory through massive defections. The same clan which otherwise feels great at the Nehru-Gandhi legacy. These Gandhis, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the like have humbled late Rajiv Gandhi who raised his head high in having saved the country of the curse of defections.

Is it not ironical that about two dozen MPs, who played the chivalrous act of saving Manmohan government stand to lose their membership of the House sooner or later for their crime of defection by defying the party whip, but the government that survived with these illegal votes would get away with the booty of this crime?

A person is the legal heir to the property of his father or brother in the event of their death, but not when he/she ventures to inherit that property by eliminating them through a crime of murder. But here is a case in which the UPA government will get away with the spoils of the crime committed to save itself by instigating, alluring and motivating persons to throw to the winds the anti-defection law.

It is on record that our victorious Prime Minister telephoned to thank and pat each one of the ‘daring’ MPs to extend a halo of respectability for what is a crime in the eyes of the anti-defection law passed by this very Parliament to whom he is responsible.


State after State and lately, at the Centre, the present Congress leadership is killing Rajiv Gandhi again and again for what he stood for. ***