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He was to protect Home
which burnt, PM praises him
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India's first Sikh premier who is
often presented as a role model to Sikhs all over the world,
recently surprised fellow countrymen and Sikhs in particular by
showering extraordinary praise on the former Prime Minister, P.V.
Narasimha Rao. For no apparent reason, Prime Minister Singh
surprised many who have been watching the political scene over the
last few decades and who, like countless other citizens, are
affected deeply by negative politics.
Here are two instances of the divisive politics of Rao. First, he
was the Union home minister when Delhi broke into angry rioting and
he was unable to control the escalation of violence. He could not
stop the mad killing of innocents Sikhs. The blame game continues
till today but if one were to look at Rao’s report card, he failed
miserably at his job. If the argument is that Congress party workers
led the assault on the Sikh community in Delhi, one is likely to ask
why this mentor of Manmohan Singh did not assert himself, or resign?
Surely, that is what an honorable political leader in power should
have done.
The
second horror that Rao presided over (the whisper was that many
expected him to turn a blind eye) was the demolition of the Babri
Masjid. Whether it functioned as a place of worship or not is a
separate issue. The mosque was an intrinsic part of India's heritage
and it is unacceptable that a prime minister should have allowed it
to be reduced to rubble.
If
the argument on the Babri Masjid issue is that its demolition was
inevitable because of the mistake Rajiv Gandhi committed by opening
the locks, surely, Rao should have reversed that wrong as a secular
leader and held his head up high. In both instances, this mentor of
the incumbent prime minister should have called in the army, first
for a flag march to bring about shanti, and if he failed to
ensure that his orders to quell the rioting were carried out, he
should have put in his papers.
By
doing so, Rao would have stood apart. Instead, he played bad
politics in a pluralist society against the Muslims and the Sikhs
and alienated both from the Congress. An unacceptable act from a
prime minister. Maybe this is the reason — Manmohan Singh’s devotion
to Narasimha Rao — which compelled the Sikhs in Delhi to vote
against Manmohan Singh when he stood for elections from this city.
Many worked voluntarily for him during that campaign and recall
being bewildered by the Sikh backlash.
The
economic reforms that Rao is constantly credited with — he is seen
as the prime mover in the restructuring of the economy — is another
half-truth. He had no option, with the fiscal situation being what
it was and with the World Bank breathing heavily down his throat.
Left to himself, heaven knows what he would have done! He had his
day in the sun, and he made hay till it shone. He played a kind of
politics that damaged some very treasured aspects of this country
and its intrinsic strengths.
The
healing process that ensued after those wounds were inflicted on the
society continues. Therefore, for a truly honest and honorable prime
minister like Manmohan Singh, to salute Narasimha Rao as a great
statesman only shows how far removed he is from realpolitik as the
leader of over a billion people, half of whom do not have access to
the simple dignities of life.
Naïve political intervention, limited sight, an inability to absorb
ideas, processes and advice do not make stalwart leaders. To
understand and appreciate the many Indias is a complex and unending
learning process. It is bound to be tough for politicians who have
not had the privilege of working consistently in a constituency, of
being out there where the truth lies.
4 April,
2007
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