Joe Shearer
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- Apr 19, 2009
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i have to admit i'm not good at india history nor its political system. i will be more than happy to listen if someone can enlighten me on something i don't quite understand. for example, based on what merit that brought Sonia to chair congress overnight after the assassination of her husband PM Rajiv?(well i'm not even sure if Sonia took over the power immedicately or wait some kind of graceful period?)
I have just been told to get lost, very politely, but very firmly, by Brotherhood, so let us pretend that my quick response to you is part of the process of withdrawal - a word in parting as I walk off, as it were.
- As you have guessed correctly, Sonia Gandhi did not get any political position on her husband's assassination.
- Instead, P. V. Narasimha Rao, a very talented politician, with numerous assignments to his credit, and a polyglot with six languages, was appointed Prime Minister. His term was mixed; on the one hand, he opened up the economy, using a brilliant economist for the purpose, in the capacity of a Finance Minister, one Manmohan Singh; unfortunately, he also took a very bad decision of trusting the Chief Minister of UP, who belonged to a hostile party, and allowed the destruction of a mosque which had enormous repercussions on Indian politics.
- The gradual erosion of the Congress Party's leadership led to faction fighting within the party. Several strong leaders ganged up on the Party President, an apparatchik of no significance, and it looked as if the party was headed for doom.
- Several faction leaders then contacted Sonia Gandhi, then leading a completely private life, and persuaded her to join politics. She became a primary member of the party, with no political rank, and sat through nearly a year more of gradual deterioration of the fortunes of the Congress.
- The Congress finally came together to appoint her Party President in 1999, 8 years after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination (1991) and three Prime Ministers, one from the Congress and two from its opposition (more or less) later.
- When she did lead the Congress to decisive victory, she was astute enough to avoid the obvious, refused Prime Ministership, and appointed Manmohan Singh the PM.
- Sonia's initial importance, as was Rajiv's before her, and Indira Gandhi's even earlier, was that the Congress could rally around a figurehead, and the strong state leaders could work under a leader who was not strong in their own states, thus leaving them to nurse their own constituency in peace.
There'll be others to help as well, and it is good to see that some others have already responded.