Why didn’t Rahul go to Jantar Mantar?
While Rahul Gandhi was criticized for not going to Jantar Mantar, either during the time when Sonam Wangchuk was undergoing his fast or later on, nor during the Parliament session; this was a calculated move on his part. Rahul clearly realised that the BJP was looking to discredit the movement and if he, or any other opposition leader got associated with it, then it would become an easy target. Moreover, as a Congress leader pointed out, in retrospect the distance helped, for Sonam Wangchuk is getting a lot of brickbats for breaking his fast in the company of two Cabinet ministers from the Modi government. However, the Congress did want to do something and the sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s House was an almost spontaneous decision taken by Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge when they had gone to wish the latter on his birthday. What also helped was that Kharge’s residence at 10 Rajaji Marg was less than 3 km away from the PM’s residence and thus, walking distance.
Gestures, not Grandstanding
The unassuming Dimple Yadav has won a lot of hearts at Jantar Mantar for the way she made herself a part of the protest simply by being there and lending a helping hand. There was no grandstanding, or drama but hers was a quiet presence as she helped those who were hurt or needed to get medical attention. With a bandage around her own arm, she was seen tending to a student who had fainted, whispering to one of her aides to give another some money to get to a hospital, or just standing with a protective arm around some young girls, listening to their problems. Hers was not a hit and run visit but she has been a consistent presence at the protest site, sweating it out along with the students. This is the kind of on-ground leadership that the young are looking for as in the end what matters is gestures not grandstanding.
Being Dr. Manmohan Singh
It has been 35 years since India opened up its markets in 1991. While much credit for the liberalisation move is given (rightly) to Dr Manmohan Singh, one cannot forget the role of P.V. Narasimha Rao, who was the Prime Minister at the time. He was the one who appointed MMS as Finance Minister and supported him staunchly. As Dr Sanjaya Baru pointed out in an interview to NewsX, it was not just Rao but even A.B. Vajpayee, who led the opposition at the time, who came out in Manmohan’s support, for both understood the need of the hour was greater than scoring partisan points. Unfortunately, that kind of maturity is missing in today’s politics. However, it did take Dr Manmohan Singh a while to get used to the rough and tumble of politics, for many remember him carrying a letter of resignation in his pocket throughout his tenure as Finance Minister. Though, by the time MMS became Prime Minister, he was confident enough to dismiss the criticism against him with that politically sound comment that has stood the test of time so well: “History will be kinder to me.” And he was right. But even he could not have predicted that he would be so right, so soon.
