HVK Archives: Right man, wrong job
Right man, wrong job - The Pioneer
Editorial
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21 April 1997
Title : Right man, wrong job
Author : Editorial
Publication : The Pioneer
Date : April 21, 1997
Perhaps the only reason why Mr Inder Kumar Gujral has been elected
leader of the United Front and Prime Minister-designate is that he
was nobody's candidate, not even his own. Never before in Indian
history has the absence of popular support been such a stupendous
political virtue as it is today under the ramshackle UF
dispensation. This, is no reflection on Mr Gujral's personal
competence. Judging by the initial urban middle class reaction to
his nomination, there is relief that no branded political muscleman
has been selected for the Prime Minister's office. Given the
composition of the United Front, that was a very serious
possibility till Friday evening. Nevertheless, there is bound to
be a hiatus between the enthusiastic endorsement Mr Gujral's
elevation has already received from neighbouring countries,
especially Pakistan, and the somewhat lukewarm response at home.
The fact that a man who has lived in Delhi all his life had to seek
election to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, after claiming to be
"ordinarily resident" in Patna, speaks for itself. This, again, is
not so much Mr Gujral's fault as that of the system which places
educated politicians at a discount in an electoral process
dominated by caste and crime. As a tale (probably apocryphal) about
the time when he sought election to the Lok Sabha from Patna in
1991 reveals, he had to be introduced at a public meeting by Mr
Laloo Prasad Yadav not by his accomplishments but allegedly as a
"padha-likha (educated) Gujar".
It is also difficult not to sympathise with the man who has been
catapulted into a temporary vacancy only because the warring
chieftains of the Front would not be persuaded into accepting the
primacy of one of their own kind. Thus, the least unacceptable
aspirant has been chosen to lead the shaky coalition into the next
election which, clearly, must happen soon. However, of the
non-warlord members of the UF brass, Mr Gujral's is undoubtedly the
best choice. He has wide administrative experience, having cut his
teeth as Indira Gandhi's I & B Minister when Emergency was
declared. His stint as our Ambassador in Moscow helped cement
India's relations with the erstwhile Soviet Union, a country Mr
Gujral held in high esteem having been a member of various
pro-Soviet outfits for many years. As External Affairs Minister in
the VP Singh Government, Mr Gujral acquired a reputation for
unfreezing ties with Pakistan, a pursuit he renewed with redoubled
vigour during the Deve Gowda regime. His biggest asset is his
integrity which, hopefully, should guarantee that CBI and
Enforcement Directorate probes into corruption cases shall continue
without let or hindrance. Sadly, however, it would be too much to
expect Mr Gujral to be his own master. Both UF chieftains and
Congress bosses are certain to breathe down his necks making his
tenure an uneasy and anxious one, lurching from crisis to crisis.
It is now up to him to disprove the scepticism that surrounds his
accession and give India a pleasant surprise.
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