A recent status of one of my Facebook friends read thus: “Diapers and politicians should be changed often; both for the same reason.” It brought a smile, but nothing more; if not gross, it was a little inelegant I thought, and moved on, without either a ‘Like' or a comment.
But digesting the political events of last week — the ugly spat between the two senior-most ministers of the UPA, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr P. Chidambaram, and the growing clamour for anointing the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi as prime minister of India when even the halfway mark of the present regime has not been crossed — one was forced to think of it again.
Take the first case; when the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, was out of the country, a very public row broke out between the present and former Finance Ministers. At the centre of it lay a detailed note sent by the Finance Ministry to the PMO which linked Mr. Chidambaram to the 2G scam.
It was evident that the present Finance Minister, who had earlier complained that his office had been bugged and insinuated that this was the work of the former Finance Minister, was out to settle scores.
As Mr Chidambaram fretted and fumed, mostly in private, and even threatened to resign, it was left to the Congress chief, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, recouping after her recent serious illness, to summon both the senior UPA ministers and force a truce.
Apparently, as Mr Chidambaram dug in his heels and insisted on quitting, it was the consummate politician in Pranabda who agreed, or was persuaded, to back off. So we saw the spectacle of a very uncomfortable, even sullen, Finance Minister making a carefully drafted ‘statement' in which he dissociated himself from the content, particularly the “inferences” made by some Finance Ministry officials in the note to the PMO. Mr Mukherjee said that as a number of stories on 2G spectrum had appeared in the media in January 2011, it was thought appropriate to prepare a detailed note or “an inter-ministerial background paper”, which was then sent to the PMO on March 25, 2011.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
The operative part of Mr Mukherjee's statement was: “Apart from the factual background, the paper contains certain inferences and interpretations, which do not reflect my views.”
To this, an even more sullen Mr Chidambaram's brief response was: “I am happy by the statement of my senior and distinguished colleague. I accept the statement. Insofar as the government is concerned the matter stands closed.”
Now, of course, the Law Minister, Mr Salman Khurshid, is giving us gyan on how there was only a “working difference” between Mr. Mukherjee and Mr Chidambaram, and how there was nothing wrong in Ms. Sonia Gandhi stepping in to play peacemaker.
What is absurd is his laborious explanation on how officers from various ministries had contributed to that note, but while putting it together a junior officer from the FinMin had drawn an inference “that was nobody's, at best you could say it was the author's inference, but it's an inference that was unwarranted and therefore, it's an orphan inference”.
Uh, come again? Forgive me if I am too dumb to understand the absurd inference drawn by the Law Minister to impress… nobody!
Meanwhile, you can imagine the uneasy truce and feelings of anger and suspicion that may be troubling the UPA's two senior ministers. Any HR expert will tell you that bonhomie between colleagues can never be enforced.
A team leader can ensure discipline and orderly behaviour but never camaraderie. How this uneasy relationship between two kingpins in the Cabinet will affect its functioning and the UPA government's already listless performance is anybody's guess.
Small wonder, then, that senior BJP leader Mr Arun Jaitley said scathingly at the BJP's National Executive meet, referring to Dr Singh's diatribe against the Opposition's attempts to destabilise his government: “The Government with all the internal feuds many not last its full term. The Government is in suicidal mode, we don't need to disturb it.”
Modi sulks
But feuds exist in the BJP camp too. The saffron party cut a sorry figure during its Executive meet with its poster boy, Mr Narendra Modi — NaMo to his huge tribe of admirers — deliberately keeping away.
Daggers are out within the party's top leadership for NaMo, and his emergence as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the next General Elections will not be without serious challenges from other contenders such as Mr. Jaitley and Ms. Sushma Swaraj.
The Gujarat strongman knows this only too well, and is sulking in full public glare. But he also knows too well that in an India getting increasingly disenchanted by misgovernance and non-governance, his cultivated image of an honest, committed, hardworking, and above all, a dynamic and development-oriented leader will get him more and more support in the coming days. And no political party can afford to ignore such strong public sentiment.
But question marks against Mr. Modi's elevation to the topmost slot in government remain, and are too well known to be spelt out again.
As for the scion of the Gandhi family stepping into the PM's shoes, the chance of it diminishes with each passing day as whatever little aura — and hope — Rahul Gandhi had developed has evaporated.
That brings us to the diaper analogy. We have over 30 months to go before the next General Elections. Is it too much to expect this country — which has thrown up such excellent leaders in every sphere of science and technology, health-care and education, business and industry, media and entertainment and a host of other specialities — to find, grow or nurture an eminent person to lead us? After all, this is an era of crossovers… across professions.
So, by 2014 can we not find an honest, intelligent, dynamic, charismatic, passionate and, above all, caring individual… somebody who doesn't need to say sorry because he/she has not committed any grievous crimes; whose lack of greed or insatiable hunger for filthy lucre will keep her/his hands away from the public exchequer, and who will make an earnest, heartfelt attempt at a new beginning?
As Amitabh Bachchan says in his rich baritone — our time begins now.