Jairam's verbal rebellion ends with an unreserved apology
Jairam's verbal rebellion ends with an unreserved apology
Author: Political Bureau
Publication: The Economic
Times
Date: May 16, 2000
Not with a bang, but
a whimper. The Jairam Ramesh saga of 'quotable quotes' ended today, as
all such sagas do hi the dynastic hierarchy of the Congress with abject
apologies and genuflection to the presiding deity.
Having sustained the
headlines for a few days, the limelight proved too much for an aspiring
rebel with(out) a cause. Jairam Ramesh "unreservedly apologised" for the
embarrassment caused to the party and Sonia Gandhi after a weekend meeting
with her.
Media being the favourite
whipping boy of politicians, Mr Ramesh conveniently passed the buck, saying,
"I regret the interview has been torn out of context and misinterpreted.
I am sorry it has given the impression that I have violated party discipline,"
Mr Ramesh said in a letter to AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes.
In fact, Mr Ramesh's
'rebellion', if it can be called such, rang with a sense of authenticity
as he was widely perceived as a Congressman with the soul of a reformer.
Besides, as he insisted, he had not taken a penny from the AICC, so really,
what could they do to him? Two days ago, it appeared Mr Ramesh was only
articulating what a number of Congressmen felt but couldn't gather up the
courage to say. But the tide evidently turned when the Karnataka chief
minister, SM Krishna threatened to throw him out of the planning board.
Without the protection of the coterie he could hardly afford to be the
proverbial candle in the wind. Mr Ramesh's decision to fall in line is
a victory for the powerful band of Sonia's advisers.
Margaret Alva continued
the pressure on him when she refused to say whether the apology was the
end of the matter. Clearly, things will no longer be the same for this
articulate Congress face. There will be the inevitable informal incarceration
as he sits out his period of penance. The notes to the Congress president
will dwindle in number and effect as will the speeches that he periodically
wrote for her.
After today, it will
be a race for forward positions in the apology line. And Mr Ramesh has
a lot to atone for. Among others, a hasty acceptance of a consultant's
job by Chandrababu Naidu which landed him in hot water with the party high
command. Mr Ramesh the phoenix, will be hard to come by. The question is,
will he have to join the ranks of rebels whose hearts couldn't take the
final jump?
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