archive: Sangma leads attack on Sonia at CWC meet
Sangma leads attack on Sonia at CWC meet
Posted by Ashok Chowgule (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
Economic Times
May 17, 1999
Title: Sangma leads attack on Sonia at CWC meet
Author:
Publication: Economic Times
Date: May 17, 1999
Following is the text of the letter written by senior Congress leaders
Sharad Pawar, P A Sangma and Tariq Anwar to party president Sonia
Gandhi.
Respected Congress president,
IT IS with a deep sense of responsibility, and an overwhelming sense
of concern that we write to you. The founders and the leaders of the
Congress party like your eminent grandfather-in-law had always
encouraged a tradition of free and uninhibited exchange of views
amongst Congressmen. They have built the foundation of Indian
democracy on the four pillars of liberty of opinion, freedom of
expression, responsibility of action and, above all, nation before
self. We believe we are being true to these ideals in placing our
views before you.
Madam president, we belong to a generation which had the good fortune
to have, as role models, people like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Nehru, Maulana
Azad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri and
Indira Gandhi. It is under their tutelage that we learnt about the
value of sacrifice, and the intensity of national pride. They taught
us to be Indians first and Congressmen next. Your family has, more
than once, made the supreme sacrifice to uphold these ideals.
After the demise of Rajivji, the party felt orphaned. Like most
orphans, its condition deteriorated. With the slow decline of the
Congress party, the forces of communalism, violence, and
fundamentalism, which would divide and break the country, grew from
strength to strength. As a result, the country plunged from crises to
crises.
The last three years have seen more political, social and economic
turbulence in this country than the previous 45. Right thinking people
were leaving the Congress. The poor, the underprivileged, the
minorities and the youth were disillusioned with the party. It was at
such a bleak time, Madam, that some of us came to you. We had all
watched with respect and admiration, the great dignity with which you
and your children bore the series of blows that life dealt you.
We also sensed the genuine affection and care that you had for
Congressmen and the Congress party. At this critical juncture in the
party's life we came to you and requested you to take over the reins
of the party. We felt that the real respect the Congress party had for
your family would rejuvenate the organisation. And we are not wrong.
Your presence in the party gave it new life. The disintegration
stopped. Congressmen started returning to the fold.
For the past months, we have observed the maturity and dignity you
have brought to the high office of the Congress president. You have
kept the fold together, consulted with senior colleagues and motivated
the youth. Through all this ran a clear purpose that the party so
cherished by your family did not perish. Such selflessness is not new
to India, and this ability to put the party's interest above yourself
gave us hope and strength.
With clarity of purpose you concentrated on the party without getting
involved in the political battles fought on the ground and on the
floor of Parliament. Despite tremendous pressure, you resisted the
temptation to fight elections. Both at the AICC session in Delhi and
at Panchmarhi, you very rightly reminded us that keeping the party
strong and vibrant was as important as running a government. When the
fractured outcome of the general elections were out, you and the party
accepted the verdict of the people of India that the Congress party
had not fully lived up to their expectations. Other political parties
were given a chance to take this great country forward. At all times
you intuitively understood and respected the often unstated wishes of
the Indian people.
However, of late we have noticed what we hope is only a temporary
aberration. We believe that this is the work of a few self seeking
individuals. We pray that you are able to disengage yourself from such
minds.
Soniaji, you have lived as a daughter-in-law to India for the past 30
years. You have, in your own way, absorbed much of this great
country's spirit. You are in the line of many non-Indians who have
loved and adopted this country and worked for its benefit. The
Congress party which you now lead was the brainchild of a Scotsman,
Sir A O Hume. The seat you occupy had been once adorned by Annie
Besant. It is in this selfless tradition that we see your services to
the party and the nation.
Madam president, India is a country with a history and tradition going
back to thousands of years. It is a confident culture and a proud
nation. Above all, it is a country which is self sufficient in every
sense of the word. India always lived in the spirit of the Mahatma's
words ``let the winds from all over sweep into my room", but again he
said: ``I will not be swept off my feet". We accept with interest and
humility the best which we can gather from the North, South, East or
West and we absorb them into our soil.
But our inspiration, our soul, our honour, our pride, our dignity, is
rooted in our soil, it has to be of this earth.
Soniaji, you have become a part of us because you have all along
respected this. We, therefore, find it strange that you should allow
yourself to forget it at this crucial juncture. It is not possible
that a country of 980 million, with a wealth of education, competence
and ability, can have anyone other than an Indian born of Indian soil,
to head its government.
Some of us have tried to initiate and open broader discussions on this
issue within the party. It is an issue which affects not just the
security, the economic interest and the international image of India,
but hits at the core pride of every Indian. Unfortunately, this
initiative has been thwarted at every stage.
At the risk of repetition we would like to emphasise that as
Congressmen, we look up to you as a leader who kept the party together
and is a source of strength to all of us. We hope that you will
continue in this role for many years. But, as a responsible political
party, we also have to understand the genuine concern of the average
Indian who may or may not be a Congressman. That Indian is concerned
about the person who will guide the course of his destiny for at least
five years. India's prime ministership is probably the single most
difficult job in the world today. A country the size of a
subcontinent, with a population of 980 million; a vibrant, vocal
democracy, a struggle economy, fissiparous forces tearing the social
fabric and; insurgency and terrorism which cuts at national unity. No
government anywhere in the world faces the type of complex problems
and multidimensional issues that need attention in India. A person who
is to take the reins of this country needs a large measure of
experience and understanding of public life. That is why the founders
of the party insisted that people who aspired for higher positions
should first spend time working their way up. This way, the party
worker got acquainted with the complexity of issues in the country.
The average Indian is not unreasonable in demanding that his prime
minister have some track record in public life. The Congress party
needs to respect this very justifiable expectation. We need to
understand that, during an election campaign, every Congress worker
has to be able to be aggressive about his party's line. Our workers
cannot afford to be either defensive or apologetic. This will
negatively affect the party's performance. We believe, Madam
president, that even now it is not too late. Let this great party once
again move forward in the direction of Rajivji's dream - a strong
resurgent India leading the world into the 21st century. Rajivji's
dream was shared by all of us. We look to you to lead the party to
fulfil this dream.
We have discussed this matter today in the CWC at great length. We
stand by the views we have expressed there. There can be no two
opinions that this personalised campaign started by the BJP against
you is reprehensible and needs to be opposed strongly. At the same
time we would again state that the issue raised by us in today's
meeting is real as far as the country is concerned and cannot be
wished away.
We believe that it is our responsibility as Congressmen and political
leaders to formally place on record our view and request the CWC and
you to consider the following suggestion which we feel would set at
rest the controversy currently being debated across the country.
The Congress manifesto should suggest an amendment to the Constitution
of India, to the effect that the offices of President, vice- president
and prime minister can only be held by natural born Indian citizens.
We would also request that you, as Congress president, propose this
amendment. This will be in line with your own consistent stand that
your sole concern in entering public life was to revive and rejuvenate
the party for which Panditji, Indiraji and Rajivji gave their all.
Such a stand will not only further enhance your status but also give
strength to the Congress party as it goes to the polls.
We urge you to consider the issues we have raised in the same spirit
and seriousness with which we have raised them. We believe that in the
larger interests of the party and the country, you would accept the
suggestion we have made.
With regards,
Yours sincerely,
P A Sangma, Tariq Anwar, Sharad Pawar
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