Bull's Eye

The UPA's first year has ended. Shortly after Manmohan Singh took oath, this columnist aired his expectations. Two points were made. First, Sonia Gandhi did not renounce the PM's post. She was debarred for security reasons. This column requested the president's office to contradict these facts if wrong. The president's office remained silent. It had been quick to rebut Subramaniam Swamy's claim that Sonia's citizenship debarred her from office. Sonia subsequently amended the Congress constitution, created an extra-constitutional post, and became the government's remote control. It was correctly predicted that the PM would require her nod for everything. Secondly, this columnist pointed out that Manmohan Singh would do nothing against criminalisation of politics or tainted ministers. That too has been vindicated.

Recently, leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, described the PM as a 'good man'. Advani was right. Manmohan Singh is as good as Advani himself. He studied at Oxford, has impeccable manners, and never soils his hands with dirty work. As a clean icon of middle-class values, he lets others do the dirty work. But, like Advani, he did not hesitate lying in an affidavit to claim he was a permanent resident of Assam for becoming an MP. Middle class heroes have austere lifestyles. They abjure filthy lucre. They sell their souls to advance careers.

Advani also described the PM as 'weak'. Weak is not bad. Smart politicians don't mind being weak. That makes them nice people but helpless. Left to himself, the PM would do everything. But the poor chap must do what Sonia and the Left want. He must keep intact the government and his own post, right? Prime ministers want nice things. Nasty advisers do bad things.

But cruel fate can expose middle class icons. To avoid demitting office because of a court verdict, Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency. Her justification, echoed by Congress poodles, that Jayaprakash Narayan necessitated Emergency by provoking policemen to revolt, was the height of obscene falsehood.

Now, Manmohan Singh's mask is off. Nitish Kumar was on the verge of forming the Bihar government. After a midnight cabinet meeting, the PM asked the President to dissolve the assembly. Next day, Manmohan told the TV channels that he had acted to prevent horse-trading. Were MLAs being bought? Bihar Governor Buta Singh conceded he had received no specific complaint. Never mind. We trust his judgment. He has experience. He was once convicted for bribing MPs. Let's thank him and PM for saving democracy!

(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)