In reality, the answer may appear simple; but quite complex. The coterie or camp followers brook no challenge to the supremacy of autocracy of Nehru-Indira Gandhi dynasty. Their single minded focus is to somehow impose Rahul Gandhi, the princeling in waiting, as the next PM.
In the past too, the Congress High Command crushed ruthlessly pretensions of towering regional personalities like Rajaji, Y B Chavan, Morarji Desai, and others to pose a challenge to central authority.
In principle, the dynasty does not believe in the principle of “collective leadership”.
Every one despite possessing political capabilities, maturity and charisma must fall in line or play second fiddle or obeisance to the supreme leader. In particular when the outcome of 2014 elections is any ones guess and its post political scenario may be a cliff hanger. In such a context, it is naive to expect Congress High Command to allow alternate regional power centres to rock the boat of the supreme authority.
Most important, it is to understand the game of power politics if one wants to understand the vicious course of by polls and its fallout at local and national level in the aftermath of announcement of results.
The pursuit of power is a ruthless game full of devious strategies – amoral, vicious and ruthless - culled from well-known personae: Socrates, Aristotle, Sun-Tzu, Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Carl von Clausewitz, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, and Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century.
Delhi’s historic heritage in the game of ‘politics of power’ is unparallel for its amoral, cunning and ruthless ways and means adopted by rivals to gain and consolidate power. The Indian experience is exhaustively covered in the two epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata – and “Gita” besides Chanakyas “Arthashastra” among others. There are many ‘Narada Munis”, “Mama Sakunis” and ‘Chanakyas” lurking round the corners of corridors of power each attempting to outsmart the others. Let none also suffer from illusions on the above count.
Ipso facto, the Congress High Command has mastered the art and science of playing the game of politics in perpetuating the “Nehru-Indira” dynasty at any cost even detrimental to national interests. Let none suffer from any illusions on the above count.
However, one thing is certain in the course of history of nations. Sometimes those playing vicious games of power my succeed but not always; majority fail and collapse into the dustbin of history.
At the cost of repetition, the single minded focus of the coterie around the uncrowned Empress of India, that is Sonia Gandhi, is precise. It is to somehow crown her son “Rahul Gandhi” as the next Prime Minister by hook or crook. There are no dearths of political strategists around him who can fit into roles or robes of the likes of “Narada Munis” and “Mama Sakunis”.
Anyone who appears to be a challenger in being or making is ruthlessly sidelined or marginalised or packed into political oblivion forever. For them, means employed are irrelevant. It is the ‘end’, that is, somehow crown Rahul Gandhi as the next PM that governs the means. National interests are their least concern.
Unfortunate but true it is, that Pranab Mukherjee appears all set to go upstairs to be the President of India. Surely, by virtue of his seniority, maturity, experience and political sagacity, he is the right candidate to be the next PM. None else can challenge his ascendency from within. Thus, the promotion to the President’s post for Pranab Dada is to make the way clear for Raul Gandhi. Even a political novice can see through the game.
All other stalwarts from among UPA allies like Sharad Pawar, Ajit Singh, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Karunanidhi etc., can cool their heels. Should they take any initiative, they would be silenced by invoking action under the disproportionate assets charge and sent to jails through the CBI.
BJP and its alliance partners are at war within themselves and among themselves. It is not easy to forge consensus.
Let me trace the contours of ‘no-holds’ barred political offensive against Jagan’s YSRCP to provide a perspective into what is at stake. The Congress High Command has played every trick up its sleeve to tame the challenger including induction of Chiranjeevi and sending Jagan to jail through the CBI at the most crucial time of election campaign. Perhaps, the Congress High Command believed that once the General or Head of the YSRCP is removed from the campaign, its cadres will flee from the battle of ballot box.
In reality, it was a gross misjudgement of people’s mood by the wise councils of High Command. Having sent Jagan to jail, the backroom key strategists felt that they would be able to defuse and deflate his mass appeal. The strategy of decapitation of YSRC “Chief”, instead of demoralising its cadres and forcing them to disperse or retreat or surrender to them like when a “Commander-in-Chief or King” is killed in battlefield of ancient days, has rallied around his mother and sister as standard bearers.
Next, they too failed to appreciate that the entire family of later YSR will rally and takeover the baton of leadership which would be more devastating for them.
Jagan’s mother and his sister, both wounded tigresses, went on the prowl appealing to people to give a fair verdict. Vijayamma first lost her husband and now her son in the jail. Sharmila lost her father and now her brother in jail. More important, poor people who were the beneficiaries cannot delink themselves emotionally from their fondness and attachment to later YSR.
Sensing rout, the Congress High Command has tried to corner Jagan through various leaks of the CBI probe. Furthermore, key leaders from Congress High Command have been given the charge to spearhead their anti Jagan propaganda barrage – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chiranjeevi, Purandheswari and Renuka Chowdhury. As per media reports, Vayalar Ravi has also been rushed to reinforce the team.
Of course, money is no constraint for the Congress High Command. So, cash for votes is no constraint for the Congress Party candidates during the last 48 hours. As per unconfirmed media reports, Rs.100 crores has been set aside to tilt the tide in Congress party favour in Nellore Lok Sabha seat. Till date, over Rs. 40 crores has been seized besides 30-40 kg gold and unspecified large quantity of liquor. The final 24 hours would see the ground swell of allurements to somehow make a dent into voter’s sentiments and sympathy for YSRC candidates.
Kiran Kumar Reddy, the CM, has gone on record highlighting that Jagan Reddy would go to jail for 14 years knowing full well that the laws of the land will provide relief to him just as the judiciary has done in the fool-proof cases against A. Raja and Suresh Kalmadi.
Going by Jagan’s body language coming out of Chenchalaguda Jail on daily basis for interrogation, Kiran Kumar Reddy should also realize that he is cool headed fighter who would nurse his injuries and revert back with cold blooded vengeance against his detractors sooner than later to include Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Very soon, followers of Jagan may invoke epic Ramayana, where Rama was forced to relinquish his right to throne and forced into exile for 14 years but returned victorious to Ayodhya. Similarly in Mahabharata also “Pandavas” returned to unseat “Kauravas” on the battlefield after 13 years exile. A jail tenure does a lot of good to leaders in making. So, one cannot rule out Jagan emerging from his sojourn to jail stronger than ever before and the crowds hailing him as the “Hero” to deliver them from the yoke of Delhi strangulation. After all, hardly there is governance after the demise of late YSR with growth and development completely stalled.
Viewed in the above context, the Western India-Gazers are following the by polls course with interest, it should surprise none. After all, a drubbing for the Congress Party in the by polls is certainly going to be historic landmark in the politics of India which may be the beginning of the end or fall of Congress Party in India. If so, they would need to start working in developing relationships with new entrants from regional and international dimensions.
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