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| Mukherjee unlikely to follow Zail Singh's or Fakhruddin's footsteps | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 22: Even hours before the results for the Presidential election were out the BJP, that had fielded P.A. Sangma against the UPA nominee, Pranab Mukherjee, had accepted defeat which clearly indicated that the BJP, despite a divided NDA, had thrown the gauntlet for the sake of giving a fight to its main political foe, the Congress.
Since the two political opportunists, heading two important political parties, Samajwadi Party and the BSP, had announced their support to the UPA nominee as victory for Pranab was a foregone conclusion.
Yes, if one is told that comparatively Pranab had the dignity and a long political career which were sufficient for him to occupy the chair that had once been occupied by great philosophers, linguists and educationists like Dr Rajendra Prasad (1950-1962) and Dr Radhakrishnan (1962-1967) it cannot be disputed.
As a senior Minister in the Centre and as a towering Congress leader Pranab has been a trouble shooter despite the fact that he has shown his weakness for losing his shirt. He may be treated as a suave politician by many but when he loses his cool he has the potential of hitting his rival left and right with words that come out from his fulsome mouth in a Bengali accent.
Compared to other political stalwarts, whether in the Congress or in the opposition, whether in power or without power, Pranab has been the least controversial in the sense that he had not been held guilty of omissions and commissions. As a scam free political personality Pranab is well suited for the post for which he was elected today.
Yes, his opponents have only one fear. As a political leader, having a long stint in the Congress which had enabled him to taste power for decades, will Pranab be quite objective while dealing with day to day Constitutional and political issues that have a direct bearing on the country and its people?
Those who have faith in Mukherjee's impartiality and objectivity refer to that period when he resigned from the Congress after he felt he had been slighted by the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi in 1984. Pranab resigned from the Congress and floated his party Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress after he had not been inducted in the Cabinet headed by Rajiv Gandhi when he had been a Minister in every Congress led Government.
But those who fear that the Congress ideology may weigh heavy on the mind of Pranab because he has been in the Congress for the last over 40 years and his father too had been a Congressite argue that the new President may not roar if he is forced to follow the footsteps of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who was President between 1974 and 1977 and Giani Zail Singh who was the country's Constitutional head between 1982 and 1987.
History bears testimony to the fact that Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was forced to sign the proverbial dotted lines when internal emergency was imposed on the country in 1975. S Giani Zail singh had not been informed when the then Prime Ministr, Indira Gandhi, ordered Army crackdown on the Golden Temple in 1983 for flushing out terrorists who had carved out a hideout in the shrine despite the fact that Zail Singh was the supreme commander of the Armed Forces in the capacity of being the President of India.
That Zail Singh had felt wounded by the "I care least attitude" of Indira Gandhi had become apparent when the Giani would give vent to his hurt through recitation of couplets in Urdu which were self-explanatory. Whenever Zail Singh visited Kashmir he would not hesitate reciting a couplet in reply to a newsman's question on his relations with Indira Gandhi.
Hence it is to be seen whether Pranab is able to maintain the dignity of the Presidential chair or simply okay whatever political and Constitutional matters were referred to him by the Congress led UPA Government. Yes, one need not expect Mukherjee to bid adieu to the Congress culture but even being a congressite one does expect him to be ready to shift the wrong from the right even if that exercise meant annoying Sonia Gandhi.
Is Mukherjee prepared to bear the responsibility of opposing those who are seen violating the country's Constitution even if that meant an affront to the Congress ideology? Future events will determine. It is also expected that as a politician Pranab would keep the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhawan open for the common people.
Mukherjee may earn laurels if he takes a decision on some of the mercy petitions pending in his office. |
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