Sonia Gandhi at 69: Formidable, Defiant and a Fighter
Why being powerless brings out the best in Sonia Gandhi
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Sonia Gandhi turns 69 today. On her birthday, we take a look back at her resurgence as a formidable leader of the Opposition parties, in the aftermath of the Congress’ worst-ever defeat in last year’s general elections.
Sonia has often courted controversy – most recently, in the National Herald corruption case. Yet, she remains defiant.
In 1999, Sonia Gandhi made her first speech as Leader of Opposition. Senior journalist Iftikhar Gilani recalls:
She had a prepared text of her brief speech to congratulate GMC Balayogi on getting elected unanimously as Speaker. It was a quick job, done in four minutes as she read out from five A-8 sheets of paper. Her estranged sister-in-law and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, who was sitting on the back benches, was seen mimicking her and cracking jokes as Sonia Gandhi promised the Speaker the “fullest cooperation” and looked forward to “dignified debates” under his leadership.
By 2001, no one was laughing. Tehelka’s Operation West End exposé had put the government on the defensive. It was the first time Congress MPs were seen protesting, disrupting Parliament, forcing adjournments and Sonia was at the forefront of it all.
If there had been any reluctance on her part to accept the party President-ship, it was gone. If there was any dissent against her elevation, it had evaporated. Leveraging the Gandhi surname, Sonia displayed gumption.
In 2004, the monsoon had been great; India was being acclaimed as an I-T hub; and India and Pakistan were exchanging good vibes. PM Vajpayee thought he had nothing to lose when he advanced the General Election by six months. Except Sonia decided to get her hands and feet muddied along the banks of the Yamuna.
On a cold January morning, she along with Sheila Dikshit stood smack in the middle of a slum settlement that was to be destroyed on orders of the BJP government in Delhi. She pointed at the soon to-be-homeless, unclothed, unfed families and asked, taking a dig at Vajpayee’s rallying slogan – “Is this India Shining?”
The electorate’s answer was a resounding NO.
Sonia, Not Gandhi Won
Sonia led her coalition to a victory in 218 seats in the Lok Sabha. Poll pundits argued the difference in vote share between BJP & Congress was just over 2 percent. But with support from the Left parties, Mulayam & Mayawati, the UPA formed a government headed by Manmohan Singh, but led by Sonia for all practical purposes.
In one deft political stroke, she had neutralized her political opponents – remember how Sushma Swaraj had vowed to shave her head if a “foreigner” became Prime Minister? Sonia was now being worshipped like a “power sacrificing” goddess. When opposition leaders derided her Italian origin, she became more public. And when opposition leaders mocked her Hindi accent, Sonia responded by speaking even louder.
Critics said the Gandhi surname, not Sonia inspired voters. But the fact is that Sonia’s hands-on leadership, which has also been described as autocratic, had brought the Congress back into power after a record 8 years of exile. The Gandhi surname had only helped to keep the party together.
Sonia Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai?
Because history repeats itself, the NDA is back in office wielding a brute majority in the Lok Sabha. Sonia’s Congress is again out of power, wracked by revolts against the old guard. It is looking to go further left-of-centre in its policies. There’s a leadership vacuum that Rahul Gandhi is either unwilling to, or incapable of filling. The only constant is that Sonia is still President and Sushma still has a head of rather lush looking hair.
But ten months after its worst ever defeat, the Grand Old Party was floundering. If the Congress and its President were passing through the 5 stages of dealing with loss and grief, the last two weeks would prove that they’ve finally accepted the truth.
On March 12, a Special CBI Court summoned Sonia’s protégé and ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with a coal block case. This despite the prosecution claiming it had “no prosecutable evidence against Dr. Manmohan Singh”, giving Sonia the perfect political springboard.
Since then, she has
1. Led a solidarity march to ex-PM’s house on Motilal Nehru Marg
2. United 10 opposition parties against Modi-NDA govt’s Land Bill
3. Ensured the Karnataka govt orders CBI probe in the DK Ravi death case
4. Accused the Modi govt of “apathy” towards the people of Telangana
5. Met farmers in BJP-held Rajasthan & Haryana affected by unseasonal rain
Unlike Vajpayee, the fight with Modi is personal. Fears of a backlash for her ill-fated Maut ke Saudagar-like comments, are no longer founded. As the Economic Times writes, the Congress President does not hesitate to take on Modi directly.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi appears keen to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi as she ups the ante against the BJP government, brushing aside concerns in the party that sniping at the saffron mascot might have a boomerang effect
Kyonki darr ke aage jeet hai
The Congress feels that there is little gain in holding back on direct criticism now that Modi has already become PM, as the onus is on him to make good on his campaign promises
Sonia is in the House and wants it back.
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Published: 24 Mar 2015,06:29 PM IST