April 21, 2009

Time for Testimonials




Every General Election in the country brings in its wake personal attacks, mud-slinging, name-calling, accusations and allegations of all kinds amongst and against political parties and individual candidates standing for the elections. In the surcharged atmosphere where the fate of 500 plus representatives of the people as well as members of several State Assemblies hangs in balance and the stakes are high, such events are almost unavoidable as the campaigning reaches a crescendo. The people have also come to cynically accept even a fair share of violent incidents and acts of intimidation as if they are as inevitable as the Elections.

The present General Elections 2009 for the 15th Lok Sabha have, however, brought new lows in no holds barred campaigning where the fault lines and weaknesses of the opposing parties and candidates have been ruthlessly highlighted before the electorate.

One such issue that has become a high point of campaigning during the on-going Elections is the highlighting of Sardar Manmohan Singh as a weak Prime Minister. The main Opposition Party BJP has made it a particular point to constantly hammer at this aspect throughout its campaign as a weighty argument against Congress Party and a Government led by that Party.

Sincere and honest that he undoubtedly is and capable that he is reputed to be, the fact that Manmohan Singh is weak in the position of Prime Minister does not need to be proved. His actions or inactions in key matters of the State Policy such as internal security and terrorism, his benign approach towards some incompetent, corrupt or otherwise wayward colleagues (which may be partly but not in all cases due to the compulsions of coalition politics) and his apparently servile attitude towards his Party Chief and her son in full conformity with the Party norm of sycophancy, leave hardly any doubt on this score. As far as internal security is concerned, it is amply clear that the ambivalent, almost non-existent, policy of the Government led by him with regard to dealing with terrorism did nothing to curb it but in fact emboldened the terrorists to strike at will during the last few years. No one needs to give a certificate about the abject failure of the Government led by him to deal with terrorism which is so very evident. The weak-kneed approach could have been due to his own unwilligness to take a firm view in the matter. Or, he could have been prevented by others against his own better judgment from doing what should have been done. In either case, in the net result it clearly shows his own weakness.
Apart from issues of governance, to cap it all, he has not thought it necessary to face the people by standing for the Lok Sabha although Mr. Rahul G. apparently with his poor understanding of the electoral situation claimed that Manmohan Singh could be elected from any seat if he stood!! (see this article too)

As far as his attitude towards the Party Chief and her family is concerned, Manmohan Singh does not let go of any opportunity to affirm that he is beholden to them personally for the opportunity to be the Prime Minister.
Read this:
When asked who between him and Rahul Gandhi would be the next PM, Singh said, "You have heard the Congress President and you have heard Rahul Gandhi. I think the answer is quite clear." (Times of India, 20th Apr. 2009)


Unfortunately for the Congress Party, regardless of whether Opposition parties highlight this point or not, the public perception about Manmohan Singh being weak as Prime Minister is too strong. So pervasive is this perception that even political allies by their actions show that they too concur with the people.

Even for his own Party; this particular issue has been giving cause for serious concern to the extent that even the Congress Party President has been going to great lengths to repeatedly make it a point to spring to his defense. Since the last couple of weeks, strenuous efforts are being made by the Party and in particular its President and "her family" to emphasize that he is not a weak Prime Minister.




The views of the Household members at 10, Janpath




To thwart such attacks on Manmohan Singh, the Party also went to the extent of twisting the matter by saying that an insult to the Prime Minister was an insult to the country, forgetting completely that not the Prime Minister but the person who would still like to occupy that chair was being referred to. His mentor also blamed L.K.Advani of BJP of being a slave to RSS(why accuse only Singh of being a slave?). It was nothing short of a tacit admission of the reality of Manmohan Singh's position.






On his part, Manmohan Singh himself has been trying to assert that he is not a weak Prime Minister.

He has also been suitably showing his admiration for his mentors as a member of this Mutual Admiration society.

Mutual Admiration Society


His latest unabashed quote: “Rahul has all the qualities to be a good prime minister”.


Their combined efforts have so far failed to impress the people in spite of reaching almost farcical proportions.


Whatever testimonials these actors on the electoral stage manage to exchange amongst themselves, it must be hoped that the people will see the realities and vote responsibly without getting carried away.


On the Campaign Trail of Rahul's fiefdom.......




सारे जहाँ से अच्छा, हिंदोस्ताँ हमारा

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello,friends you are right,But people have too short mamry,people forgate all thaire own right and duty,they still living like kingdom days when only king and than after Prince and than again prince,No Quality no Choice,Now In a day Thaire is How can we Thinking about Rahul and Priyanka and all a son and deaughter of all politician,Thaire is basic fundamental party worker have no chance to improve his post,up to lifetime but wellknown sons and doughter are groving straight hiegh on top no any Min Qualification like public serve,Party contact,contact,seva of people nothing criteria,democracy it self blackmailed or modifide in royal family drama,

Vinod_Sharma said...

LOL! Very creative indeed. Enjoyed going through it!

Makhijani said...

These people are behaving like jokers.

How bad it looks when all the time they are chanting 'not weak' 'not weak'.

The surely know it themselves that MMS is weak and are trying to give him a psychological boost.

Never have we seen such spectacle of even the married daughter, a housewife, being called in as emergency help.

Speakbindas said...

Very interestnig reading this has been. You wrote it with all your heart.

K. Sampathkumar, Chennai said...

This Congress party has been used to all this false drama to throw dust in the eyes of the trusting people.


But as we have seen in over 50 years of their history they are simply not able to deliver the goods.

allahrakha said...

बहुत हो चुका ईनका नाटक

अब भारत वासियोंको बख्श दो.

Saarika said...

Circus with animals on a leash and lot of clowns

Anu said...

Hilarious...:-)

sm said...

he is not weak pm.
i agree with you.

J. DeSousa said...

Why is the Congress President so keen to project MMS as not a weak PM?

Simple, she wants him to be there till the idiot Rahul can be somehow installed as PM and MMS will meekly and promptly resign on health grounds (mental or physical) at that time.If anyone else from the Congress party which is party of opportunists is chosen as PM before her son is ready, that other person would never leave the PM seat at her signal and will use every type of adhesive to stick to the chair.

virendra sharma said...

Howsoever shrewd MMS may be but could not secure the HOT SEAT for the HEIR APPARANT,RAHUL BABA ,this time around for the 15th LOKSABHA.Though he 1st constituted the Sachchar commission,counted Muslim Heads in defense forces,declared the 1st rights of Muslims on National resources,had a rest less night when a terrorist Muslim caught in far away Australia ,declared Quattrochi a gentle menbetter known as ,RAHUL,S MAMA ,but failed to secure the hot seat.Weak he really is ,wait for 16thmay .

kammal said...

What do u mean by "weak"? Administrative capability and strength, and political strength are two different things. Sonia has the political power, is officially and rightly the chairperson of UPA. Dr Singh is the PM, which is an administrative and executive post, equivalent of a CEO. Look at his achievements:
* RTI: has proven crucial for transparency, fighting corruption
* NREGA: the most ambitious, sensible, sustainable poverty eradication programme in the country's history
* Nuclear Deal: India will start manufacturing & exporting nuclear equipment in few years, and get massive electricity in next decade.
* Last, but the mightiest. Making India the second fastest growing major economy in the world. 9% growth is unprecedented in Indian history, at least the post-Independence history.

No one has done more for India. He became the PM not because of his political power, but because of his merit, because of his immense service to India, from his D.Phil thesis, to his watershed stint as FM. Have a look at his resume. His win is a win of meritocracy.

The fact that I have broadband to write this is because of the economic reforms he started in 1991. He turned a country on the verge of bankruptcy, with $1b foreign reserves, into what India is today, with $238b reserves. Do u thank him? http://indianpolitics-kammal.blogspot.com/2009/03/do-we-thank-him.html

keepcool said...

reader kammal seems to have a really strange idea of how our democracy functions.

if someone who is not connectd with govt. is "strong" (even that is doubtful and which is only within the PM's political party), it does not mean that PM can afford to be weak.
PM is no. 1 in the executive and to say that he is 'administrative head' is to consider him as an office manager.

and about his achievements, this is not the place to argue.

suffice it to say that the govt.'s record in tackling terrorism, ensuring safety of ppl and allowing food prices and daily necessity prices to touch the sky, is for all to see.

it is some ppl who dont have a clear idea about the functioning of democracy within our system who encourage extra-constitutional authority and dont allow the system to work well.

sorry but its not possible to agree with his viewpoint which is in the minority.

sarita gupta said...

mr kamal is confused as to who is in charge of govt.

there is nothing like UPA as far as govt. is concerned. it is only a name given for convenience for the combination of various parties who have ministers in the govt. for four years, even Left parties were considered part of UPA. the lady who is called a chairperson of UPA has not authority in govt. except that MMS does what he is told by her.

counter said...

thanks for this post, it really made my day!

Good photoshop work, very creative!

Randhir Singh Suman said...

good

shyam gupta said...

personal attack & mud slinging--you say in the begining'

---What you are doing, here in your post?-not palatable.
---- Submit something real. people have very short memory & do not like mud throwing on their YUVRAJ's. THey are still living in dreams of RAJA's & Raj-tantr.
---Opposition parties too have tobe practical &with showy activities.

Roshni, Lucknow said...

reference Dr. Shyam Gupta's comments, I do not think there is any mudslinging in the article.

It is a brilliant satirical presentation on the farcical proportions to which the family who runs the show has been going about projecting each other.

But I fully agree with his reference to Yuvraj and Rajas. People are still not getting out of that mind-set.

sapience said...

Hey, Please dont be so biased with party politics Rahul could turn to be the face of the country the way he is coming up slowly in the political arena, try to hear him speak, he only speaks about the common man, he has the instinct of the problems a common man is facing you will never find him criticizing anyone rather he gives respect to all the other leader. think about the sacrifices their family had done for the country and then try to conclude.
Rick
sapience

Anonymous said...

It`s really nice article. Thank u a lot