Presidential Poll: Pranab's sponsors forget what they said in 1996 JULY 14, 2012 By Naresh Minocha, Our Consulting Editor NATIONAL Integration and value-based politics have been put on the backburner by the political bigwigs supporting Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for the post of Indian President. They have also relegated to the background their regularly trumpeted concern for religious minorities, tribals and small entities. Rationality is indeed the victim of the current sweepstakes for the super-gubernatorial post. The self-styled secular politicians from the mainland have also jettisoned their guilt over the neglect of the North-East. One is bound to arrive at such tasteless conclusions by comparing the present political scene with the nationalistic atmosphere that sprouted in May 1996 when Mr P.A. Sangma was unanimously elected as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Participating in felicitations of Mr. Sangma's election in Lok Sabha, Mr Sharad Yadav had stated: ¶We are followers of Late Dr. Lohia. He used to describe the North-East as the Head (origin) of Indian Ocean. The Himalaya is known as Ocean's Head in the area where you come from. (In Hindi, he stated: ¶Swargai Dr. Lohia ke ham sab log anuyayi hai. Vey North-East elakay ko Bharat ka sagar matha kahatai thai. Jis elakay se aap aatay hai – Himalaya ka nam uus elakay me sagar matha hai.¶) ¶And today you are sitting on ocean head in this house. I think this country would attain height under your leadership and this poor and helpless country would get empowered to make itself strong under your aegis. You would take this country to path of resolution of all problems. Your election would make every poor Indian proud and the national unity would get strengthened.¶ (Translated from Hindi) The public would like to know why Mr Yadav has now digressed from Lohia path to support the UPA's candidate. Recall now what P. Chidambaram, who then led the Tamil Manila Congress, had stated during Mr. Sangma's felicitations. Mr Chidambaram, had said: ¶Coming from a State, which joined the mainstream many years later, a State which is peaceful, beautiful and has wonderful people, I think, Sir, you, more than anyone else, will articulate the views and the aspirations of the forgotten small India. There are millions of them all over the country, belonging to small religions, small communities, small States, but each one of them adds to the greatness of this country.¶ Mr Chidambaram added: ¶In your elevation, in your election, Sir, I think, we salute that small India, people belonging to small States, people belonging to small tribes, people belonging to small communities, people who have very small voice, a very small role because of circumstances. In honouring something which is small, we really honour all that is great in India.¶ What stops Mr. Chidambaram now from repeating these national unity-inspiring words about Mr. Sangma? Like other members of Lok Sabha, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav also extolled Mr. Sangma's virtues. He stated ¶your experience and skills show that there is unanimity over your name for the speakership.¶ (Translated from Hindi) Mr. Yadav said it is for the first time we are seeing this in Hindustan that the Opposition has unanimously supported your nomination for speakership. ¶This demonstrates your calibre and experience,¶ he exulted. In this era of political bargains and somersaults, it is natural for stalwarts like Mr. Yadav to overlook cherished values & virtues that form integral part of Mr. Sanmga's persona. Page 1 of 3 But what led Mr. Yadav to sacrifice his supreme concern for minorities and dalits by deciding not to support Sangma, a Christian Dalit? Why is he not talking of quota for dalits and minorities in higher echelons of power? Another self-appointed secularist who hailed Mr Sangma's unanimous election in 1996 is Nitish Kumar, currently Chief Minister, Bihar. Congratulating Mr. Sangma, he had said: ¶In this house you have been praised so much that it not possible to appreciate you better than that.¶ (Translated from Hindi) While listing out Mr. Sangma's achievements and experience, Mr. Kumar drew his attention towards his challenging responsibilities as Speaker of Lok Sabha. Several Congress leaders such as late P.V. Narasimha Rao, late Madhavrao Scindia, Shivraj Patil and N.D. Tiwari had showered praises over Mr. Sangma. See what late Mr. Scindia had stated. He noted: ¶I am especially happy that you are a brother citizen from the North-East. Our country is a mosaic. As the late Shrimati Indira Gandhi had always said, it represents unity in diversity. If anyone tries to stifle that diversity, that will weaken the unity. The only way to strengthen the unity is to recognise that diversity.¶ Had Mr. Scindia been alive, he would have cautioned UPA against weakening of the national unity. Like Mr. Scindia, Trinamal Congress Chief Mamta Banerjee too has put national unity at the highest pedestal. While appreciating Mr. Sangma's elevation as Speaker, Kumari Mamta Banerjee had said: ¶Sir, I only want to add one thing that the need of the hour today is to restore value based politics.¶ She concluded her remarks with a Hindi couplet that reads as ¶Tyag ka Nam Hindu Hai. Iman ka nam Musalman. Pyar ka nam Issai. Sikh ka nam Balidan. Yeh hai Hindustan (Relinquish's name is Hindu, Trust/Credibility's name is Muslim, Affection's name is Christian and Sikh's name is Sacrifice. This is Hindustan.) We have to restore this unity and integrity of our country.¶ Will Pranab Da, a Brahamin who has had legendary spell of glory and power, draw inspiration from Mamata Di's soul-stirring words? Will he thus withdraw from the race in favour of a tribal Christian for the sake of national unity and secularism? Will he emulate Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who declined the post of Prime Minister? Will the Congress recall him back to save sinking ship called UPA? Another issue that one can't overlook is the perplexing stance of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who is destined to become Prime Minister perhaps in the long run? At a tribals rally in August 2010, Mr Gandhi stated : ¶My job as your sepoy in New Delhi has just started. Whenever you require my support, call me. I will be there with you,¶ said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a tribals rally in August 2010. Mr Gandhi thus swore by tribal rights at the rally, which was organized to celebrate the denial of permission to Vendanta to mine bauxite in Niyamgiri hills of Orissa. He said: ¶True development takes place by respecting interests of the poor and tribals and not by muffling their voice.¶ Does he know that Mr. Sangma is a tribal who is revered by both tribals and non-tribals across the country? Unfortunately, Mr. Sangma's sponsors have not risen to the occasion in pleading for conscience voting by the elite electorate? In any case, whosoever gets elected as President should do his bit to restore value-based politics and thus also ease the country's worsening fiscal health. The first and the immediate initiative that President-elect should do is to surrender the Presidential Retreats at Hyderabad and Shimla to the Executive. The President visits each retreat once a year, a tradition that smacks of regality at the expense of crores of malnourished Indians. The 90-acre retreat at Hyderabad, Rashtrapati Nilayam building was acquired from the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Shimla retreat, situated on a hill top, is a legacy of the British rule. The Government should divest these assets as heritage hotels and utilize the proceeds for setting up hospitals in the countryside. The President and the country's political class also have to do soul-searching on the spoils in which they wallow when occupying seat of the power. Time is now ripe to make a beginning with the President's Estate, a 340-acre prime site that would fetch astronomical sum to the national exchequer if put to auction Page 2 of 3 without any strings attached. The intrinsic value of the Estate is evident from an official declaration on the President's website that ¶Few official residential premises of the Head of the State in the world will match the Rashtrapati Bhavan in terms of its size, vastness and its magnificence.¶ If the political class wants to retain the President's Estate, the least it should agree is to shift the residence of Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues to the Estate. This would provide cost-effective improved security to the ruling elite. The colonial-style bungalows vacated by the ministers can later be auctioned and the resulting proceeds can be utilized for low-cost housing of the poor. In fact, Pranab da, who is perceived as winning candidate by the mainstream media, should treat his imminent election as President to redeem his words uttered the other after resigning as Finance Minister. He stated: ¶Not every decision I have taken might have been right. But I took them keeping in view the interest of the poor people whose faces appeared before me more than often.¶ Page 3 of 3.