|
Mudslinging
Campaign Launched against Sonia Gandhi
 |
|
Congress President_ more Indian than many Indians
|
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, Sept 3 (IslamOnline) - Chief Minister of the southern state of
Tamil Nadu Ms Jayalalithaa is now leading a campaign of vicious attacks
against Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi whom she is dubbing as
"foreigner", who should not be allowed to become Prime
Minister of a great country with over a billion "proud"
Indians.
Ms
Jayalalithaa started her campaign out of the blue on September 1 and has
ever since kept it up with daily outpourings. The message is that the
Congress president, slated to be the next prime minister of India, is a
foreigner who should never be allowed to head the executive. This
campaign is music to the ears of the BJP which had earlier spoken in
these terms.
The
sudden and unprovoked fulminations have left Congress leaders wondering.
Reacting to her charges against the Congress chief, Ashok Gehlot, chief
minister of northern state of Rajasthan said that she had been “
blackmailed” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to launch a tirade
against Mrs. Gandhi.
“
Jayalalithaa, involved in several cases of corruption, is feeling
insecure and fearful and wants to come out of the tricky situation.
Therefore, she is being blackmailed by the BJP,” Gehlot said.
The
corpulent, 100-odd kg Jayalalithaa is known in India as a local version
of Imelda Marcos - frivolous, greedy, shallow and autocratic. She too is
known for her endless number of shoes and departmental store-size
personal sari collection.
The
former actress never married, but rose in politics because of her
intimate relations with the late MG Ramachandaran (MGR), film star and
popular chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The leadership mantle of MGR fell
on Jayalalithaa on his death, rather than on Jayalalithaa’ s
competitor Janaki, the legally-wedded wife of MGR.
Jayalalithaa,
who has been running the state government like a dictator, putting
opposition leaders in jail on one pretext or the other, was herself
thrown into jail when she was out of power. She is facing several
charges of monumental corruption, and could any day land in jail again.
To
ward off such possibilities, she has been trying to curry favor with
BJP, which is wielding power at the Center, heading a coalition of
unassertive regional parties. She has raised the bogey of Mrs. Sonia
Gandhi’s foreign origin (she was born in Italy, but lived in India for
the last 32 years and has taken its citizenship), although the issue has
already been settled by a court of law, which regards her as a normal
Indian citizen.
The
rising graph of Congress popularity in the country is causing BJP and
other parochial, anti-minority, illiberal parties considerable worry.
The Congress is already ruling over half of the Indian states. The BJP
is ruling by default as there is no serious challenge from the
Opposition to their rickety coalition.
To
ward off chances of the Congress Party coming to power at the Centre
(and Mrs. Gandhi becoming prime minister) BJP and its allies want to
revive the non-issue of her foreign origin, although in law she is as
good an Indian as any other. In social acceptability she is ahead of
many Indian leaders born in India.
The
Congress Party released a letter of Jayalalithaa Monday, September 2,
which she had written to the President of India in 1999 saying she would
support a Congress government at Centre headed by Sonia Gandhi.
Congress
leaders pointed to her chameleon-like character, asking whether Sonia
did not have a foreign origin at that time. Congress spokesman Anand
Sharma said Monday, September 2, there was a “ larger game-plan”
behind the “ intemperate outbursts.” He said Jayalalithaa’ s “
leanings towards the BJP are fairly known.”
Congress
leaders see BJP hand behind the slander campaign. Jayalalithaa said Mrs.
Gandhi lacked “ love for and loyalty” to India. Over the past
several years BJP has off and on launched such slander campaigns against
Congress leaders, but retracted hastily when Congress folk hit back
raking up the murky past of many of BJP and RSS leaders.
BJP
has too many big leaders with less than perfect character and personal
record. Even now quite a few of them stand accused of corrupt practices
ranging from financial scams to sex scandals. BJP would be the last
party to question others’ credentials. Knowing BJP’ s Achilles heel
well, the Congress may come out with extraordinary revelations about BJP
leaders themselves.
There
is a question mark about the BJP strongman, Deputy Prime Minister LK
Advani himself. He was a Pakistani citizen for full ten years before
coming to India and it is not clear if he ever applied for and received
Indian citizenship.
At
present Congress leaders don’ t seem to be interested in launching a
full-fledged counter attack. Congress may wait till general elections
draw nearer so that an attack makes dents in BJP’ s electoral
prospects. Till then the Congress may allow BJP to call off the proxy
battle.
Despite
BJP and fellow-travelers’ resentment, some people born in Europe and
settled in India got more love and respect in the country than
India-born people. One of them was the Polish-born nun Mother Teresa,
who became an Indian, and was honored with a Nobel Prize. Recently she
was voted as best known Indian.
Other
white people who made India their home and are respected as much as
Gandhi, Nehru and Maulana Azad were Annie Beasant, Father Andrews and
Sarla Ben. Mrs. Gandhi’ s foreign origin may not hinder her leadership
qualities in the final analysis.
Common
Indians are now wary of BJP’ s and its fellow travelers’ penchant
for raising non-issues. If what BJP and its allies say is right, then
how do we justify prime ministers and presidents of Indian origin in
Fiji, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago and Mauritius at one time or the
other, is the commonly asked question today. The BJP stance also goes
against Indian legislators in Britain and high officials in Canada and
other countries.
|
