Way To Go

Outside the hot house of Delhi’s frenzied politics, where motives are always suspect, this second sacrifice strengthens Sonia’s claim that she is in politics to serve the people. I am not naive enough to swallow this pledge hook, line and sinker; it has both high and low politics embedded in it. Nevertheless, in 24x7 politics, perception is reality. For the aam aadmi, while other tainted MPs fought tooth and nail to wriggle out or protested vehemently at Congress vendetta, Sonia kept silent—and quit.

Like Indira Gandhi, her daughter-in-law entered public life and later tasted power as a rookie, a novice. Many people mocked her for her Italian accent, her inability to speak Hindi or make a speech without a written text; many people declared she was power-hungry, grasping and corrupt; many people were certain she was just waiting to crown her son and perpetuate the dynasty; many people did not see her surviving long, surrounded as she was by crafty and cunning politicos like Vajpayee, Mahajan, Advani, Jaitley. I cannot pretend that Sonia has successfully neutralised all the aforementioned doubts, but who will disagree that she has the rare and sublime gift of ‘surprise’. Her detractors must at least grant her that.

Shakespeare noted: Sweet are the uses of adversity. Sonia Gandhi has shown that William was a wise man.