“The scene I witnessed as I moved close to Rajiv was an extremely poignant one. Rajiv was clasping Sonia by both hands in a corner of that room and talking to her very animatedly. Sonia was holding him tightly and with tears rolling down her cheeks was ardently pleading with him not to agree to be Prime Minister. Rajiv was kissing her forehead and trying to convince her that he had to accept the office as it was his duty to do so in that hour of grave crisis.”
- Courtesy : P.C. Alexander – ‘My Years with Indira Gandhi’
August 15, 2010, 64th Independence day is a few days from now. To average citizens like me it is just another day full of claims, promises and platitudes signifying nothing. Flow of hopes and expectations, all dried-up, we have metamorphosed into cynics.
On the eve of Independence day I think it appropriate to pen a few lines to you, whether you like it or not.
As the Chairperson of National Advisory Council (NAC) and the President of Indian National Congress, the Grand Old Party of India (GoP) you hold powerful positions, as your party is at present at the helm of affairs. No doubt you are the power behind the throne, like it or not. Hence you are bound to share the responsibilities and you certainly have number of obligations towards the citizens across the nation irrespective of their status.
True. You were a reluctant shy lady, to be more specific, you always wanted to keep aloof from the hustle and bustle of politics and you found pleasure and satisfaction to remain a model home-maker looking after your beloved husband, two children and your powerful mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi whom once George Fernandez called the only male among the entire Congress community. Even she was also a reluctant shy lady in the beginning while her father was reigning supreme.
But she had to enter politics albeit reluctantly and with the passage of time came of age as a mature, powerful and bold political leader.
Indira Gandhi, while reigning supreme always apprehended threats to her life, a sense of insecurity always haunted her and writers and media personalities, attributed many reasons, the primary one being, she in her childhood was always lonely, even her close relatives, aunties and cousins cared not to look into the needs of the little girl. Indu, as she was fondly called. Mother Kamla Nehru, due to a serious disease for which there was no cure then left her early and her ever loving father in his relentless fight for the freedom of the nation against the ruthless British rule, found most of his best years in prisons where his only solace was books and writing. An intellectual he was, and from his ever flowing pen resulted many works which are of immense blessings and contributions to posterity.
Relentless struggles against British colonialism by the freedom loving citizens of India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and before them brave leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Subhash Chandra Bose and warriors like Bhagat Singh, Rai Lakshmi Bai - the list is endless, ultimately reached its logical conclusion, the defining moment in the history of India at the midnight stroke of August 14-15, 1947, heralding a new era.
No. This is not intended to flip the pages of the mammoth book of
The cherished dreams of a new era of peace and prosperity within no time collapsed with
The Iron lady of India, thus she was termed had a premonition of her tragic death at the hands of somebody, on the eve of that fateful day while addressing a mammoth rally at Bhubaneswar she mentioned about it and in the next morning itself she was mercilessly shot to death, that too by her own body-guards two Sikh youths. A retaliation by a section of Sikh community it was actually. The police, commandos and para-military forces apparently upon her orders stormed the Golden Temple of Amritsar and flushed out and killed the militants and their extremist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale holed up inside the prison led to a chain reaction on the part of Sikh community. For the Sikh community it was a big shock and an unforgivable sin, their spiritual abode being defiled and smeared with blood besides the demolishing of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Actually on that fateful day her fate was sealed. Communal sentiments irrespective of communities if hurt are easily inflammable, just spark is enough to turn it into a towering inferno.
Her assassination and the aftermaths were blood-chilling. The entire Sikh community, in lakhs massacred that too cold-bloodedly by blood-thirsty mobs. Even Gurudwaras were not spared, Sikh-women and girl children raped, not a single one spared, all set ablaze in broad daylight. Still for the entire Sikh community a chain of nightmares never to be erased from their psyche.
That paved the way for the enthronement of a reluctant and bereaved Rajeev Gandhi who had never in his life nursed the ambition of entering politics and occupying the saddle with a heavy heart. History plays umpteen roles of a clown, cruel joker sometimes king-maker and even kings like it or not. I hope, you would agree with me.
You, even in your wildest dreams never nursed or nurtured any ambitions of your husband becoming the Prime Minister of India, even abhorred the chair of a PM for your husband.
Sudden turn of events upset the applecart, even while all other Congress leaders were making ardent pleas to him to take up the mantle, fearing for his life, you sobbed uncontrollably and implored him not to accept that position. A caring and loving husband he was forced to take pains in cajoling you, praying to you being aware of your fears and apprehensions and prevailed upon you to bow to his wishes and you had to bow down before him ultimately.
Your persistent fears also proved prophetic with his premature assassination by LTTE elements while he was on an election campaign at Sri Perumbudur, TamilNadu. You might have recalled those moments compelling him tears rolling down your cheeks, not to accept the post of Prime Minister of India.
After that fateful incident which shook not only you, your children but the entire nation turning upside down, you with your children were leading a cocooned existence.
But no. Indian National Congress Party with the passage of years was reaching a stage of disintegration and as a result Congress leaders again flocked in front of your residence, each beseeching you to lift the party which was at its nadir to the top and give it a new shape. You were adamant, pretty sure about your non-return to politics, Congress or no Congress, but ultimate victory was those of the Congress men flocking around you.
Thus you entered politics, became Congress President and along with it you got encircled by a coterie- a bunch of psychophants and knowingly or unknowingly played into their hands according to their whims and fancies. You, like your mother-in-law valued loyalty and still values it, consequently the so-called loyal ones came to the fore and occupied positions of power.
And now a few days away for the 64th Independence day anniversary have you pondered over where the hell our nation has found itself in whether the so-called ‘growth-trajectory’ about which the ruling elite preach from highest podiums addressing whoever is in front of them. Except peanuts doled out from time to time whether anybody from the Congress top brass has in anyway come to the rescue of our toiling masses? Even while lamenting over the lack of adequate funds for providing food security to all are you not aware of the tax exemptions to the tune of Rs. 5lakh crores to the industrial barons? Whether a small part of that exempted tax is not sufficient for eradicating poverty in the entire country? Are you witnessing the sight of corrupt sports masters squandering crores of money looted from the tax-payers in the name of Common Wealth Games? Whether your attention is focused on the perennial violence taking place in Jammu&Kashmir and the North-East?
Questions abound. The answers still elusive. Anyhow a very very Happy Independence day as usual by an ordinary citizen.
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