archive: Agony Of Aging Marxists - Sonia's insult to the nation is
Agony Of Aging Marxists - Sonia's insult to the nation is
Editorial
The Statesman
June 14, 1999 .
Title: Agony Of Aging Marxists - Sonia's insult to the nation is
intolerable
Author: Editorial
Publication: The Statesman
Date: June 14, 1999 .
HITHERTO Jyoti Basu and his companion in folly, Harkishen Singh
Surjeet, are steadfast in their analysis of the political situation;
if India is to be saved, Congress and Sonia Gandhi must take charge at
once, with the non-existent third front in tow or at least with those
anxious to join like the CPI-M and failing all, Sonia must head a
minority government of the Congress alone. That they made a laughing
stock of themselves is of less moment than the ardour with which they
continued to woo Sonia even as she spurned their advances. Jyoti Basu
now does it again, in a different context. The Election Commission
consulted all political parties on the subject of the dates for the
elections and there was no suggestion that the CPI-M did anything but
go along with the decision to have the polls in September, the exact
dates to be fixed later.
Now suddenly the Chief Minister of West Bengal wants the elections to
be advanced, objections considered and rejected with his approval,
notwithstanding. The reason for the panic is not difficult to see.
George Fernandes and Ranga Kumaramangalam having been asked to shut up
and stay that way, the Prime Minister is doing an impressive job of
the crisis imposed upon this country by Pakistan's perfidy in Kargil,
the barbaric torture of soldiers in uniform and the mutilation of
their bodies ante-mortem. In addition, the tapes of conversations
between top Pakistani commanders in Rawalpindi and Beijing disclosed
with perfect timing seems to the Marxists, as politicians first and
last, to give Atal Behari Vajpayee an advantage they would rather deny
him. By contrast there is not a word of criticism of their heroine who
is behaving as though Kargil is some form of Italian fiesta - the
cheap publicity stunt of handing a cheque to the widow of an airman
killed in battle, as part of electioneering and the utterly ludicrous
thought given to a visit by Sonia to Kargil. It must have occurred
even to her advisors that the very idea in the middle of operations
would not go down well hence the alternative, equally daft, of a
delegation of Congressmen - all ignoramuses to visit Kargil a day
ahead of the Prime Minister and report to her - Sonia Gandhi in
person. If the consequences were not so serious it would put one in
mind of Murli Manohar Joshi who once insisted on unfurling the
national flag in Srinagar. He arrived under military escort, hoisted
the flag and scampered off before any harm could come to him.
Even the most wooden Congressman must wonder what report could be
written by the likes of Kamal Nath, Ahmed Patel, Jitendra Prasada and
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and what Sonia would do with it once it was
presented to her with due deference. She is so carried away by an
obstinate sense of her own importance that she probably dreams of
issuing operational instructions through the Supreme Commander of the
armed forces who was once in her husband's cabinet, to service chiefs
who could then report to her as her partymen are accustomed to do.
Jyoti Basu has not a word to say on this vulgar attempt to trivialise
Kargil, showing such gross insensitivity to the national mood and
without any sense of the occasion as to defy belief. That what remains
of her party look upon her as the oracle of Delphi is their affair.
The insult to the nation's honour and integrity is intolerable.
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