Sophistication par excellence for a decade

Sonia Gandhi, the Indian daughter-in-law from Italy, has completed a decade as president of the Congress Party founded by Allen Octavian Hume. A plethora of personalities have been catapulted to this post, many of them performing excellently well and a few on account of political expediency. Few of them could complete a term of ten years.

Whatever the political opposition and envious criticism from several quarters in the country, Sonia Gandhi who rose to power politics thanks to being the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, the modern architect of developing India, who went through the poignancy of the assassination of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, has presented her poise to the world at large.

Would someone else have been more successful as Congress president during this period? It is difficult to find an answer. I believe she would have become the Prime Minister of the country, had there not been certain clarifications from those who matter for facilitating the coronation, in spite of the threat of Sushma Swaraj to walk around with her head shaven.

History has its own ways of carving out niches. Dr Manmohan Singh found the slot purely out of the sleight of hand of time, which is the epoch-maker. Then we speak about two power centres, one controlled by Sonia Gandhi and the other by Dr Manmohan Singh. Times have proved that there is nothing like that. There is only one power centre and that rests with Sonia Gandhi. She seems to listen to others quite a bit. But undoubtedly she is the last word. It has its pitfalls too. When things go wrong, there cannot be an alibi. The bandwagon of a coalition buffeted by pulls and pressures from different directions requires careful balancing of the reins. That is what Dr Manmohan Sing is doing. Sonia would either justify Dr Manmohan Singh even if he speaks differently from what she had in mind. Or Dr Manmohan Singh would maintain a discreet silence. Both ways, Sonia ensured to project an image that there was no divergence of views. However, powerful second-rung leadership at State levels is lacking. Therefore fire-power at the regional level is missing.

Sonia-Manmohan Singh sophistication may not fetch votes. In fact, the Congress has conceded defeat in a few State elections. Surely, the country would witness her contributions in the years to come…O J