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Pratibha Patil - From "Who?" to "Madam President"?
Amrita Rajan
We've already had an Uncle for Prime Minister. Now say hello to President Aunty.
The Indian political class has made such a fetish of incompetence in governance for so long that it now finds itself in a position where they can't even get together and choose a figurehead. Even when they've known for years that this day was coming.
To cut a long story short, while Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat struggled to convince his erstwhile party and current Opposition-in-chief, the BJP, that he deserved to go the whole hog and shift into the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the ruling coaltion dithered over who to nominate as President of the Indian Republic.
For most of us ordinary citizens, there was only one man who towered above all other candidates: the incumbent, President Kalam. However, this was an election reserved for politicians. And with all the shrewd competence we've come to expect from them, they were unable to hit upon a candidate, much less a consensus.
Anyhow, as you've probably heard by now, we now have a nominee from the Left-UPA combine at least for the post of First Citizen - and it's none other than that renowned statesperson Pratibha Patil! You know her, of course, from...er, um...
Sigh.
As I look at this little old lady, her pallu pulled discreetly over her head (bringing back disturbing images of India Indira Gandhi), it's hard for me to see her as an actual person. The image of a political nonentity wished upon us for sins unknown pops a lot more readily into my mind. In this matter, as in life, there are no easy answers.
On the one hand:
- She was a practicing lawyer before she joined politics
- She's been in politics about twice as long I've been alive, including 20 years as a Minister - believe me, that counts for a lot.
- She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra
- She was the first female Governor of Rajasthan
- She was Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha
- As Governor she essentially blocked Rajasthan's "Freedom of Religion" Bill
- First female Presidential candidate with a real chance
So clearly, this is no lightweight. Those are some impressive items to put on your resume. We also haven't heard anything scandalous about her. Yet. Which might be because we haven't heard at all about her. So on the other hand, there are the reasons why Sonia Gandhi proposed her name as a candidate:
- Nehru-Gandhi family cultist
- Left & DMK nixed all other Congress candidates
- Gender
- Member of the Congress Party
- Maharashtrian married to a Rajasthani (a Shekhawat from the next village over from the Vice President's)
- Not Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Okay, so that last is applicable to all other candidates but that still leaves us with four other humongous reasons why her candidacy is so problematic.
Those who've been so kind as to follow my previous posts already know exactly where I stand on women's rights. But I'm not merely a woman - I'm also an Indian. And my brain isn't so itty bitty that it's likely to explode at the prospect of being both at the same time. So everytime I'm confronted by some Congress guy telling me how this is such a great step forward for all Indian women, I'm tempted to grind his funny little cap into the nearest puddle of mud, just for the heck of it.
This isn't a blow for women's rights, it's an act of condescension. It's the political equivalent of getting a pat on the head, handed a couple of sweeties to eat, and then being told to run along and be good.
The point wasn't to send a woman to Raisina Hill. The point was to elect the best person for the job - caste, religion and gender no bar. It's not rocket science, we've been doing this for 60 years now. I agree the post of President is largely symbolic, but it is symbolic for all citizens. President Kalam is not just a "Muslim President". He is the President. Whose religious identity happens to be Muslim.
In any case, there was no reason why this decision had to be made in 2 hours - you've had all the time in the world to think about this day.
Is Patil the right person for the job? I don't know because everybody is so hung up on her gender that we're lucky to have the barebones of her resume. How am I supposed to get all excited about a random saree wafting towards the Presidential Palace? What kind of a "message" is that?
She seems like a nice enough lady and in all probability, she's going to become our next President - I don't want to dismiss her without giving her a chance. But this constant carping on her gender puts my teeth on edge.
Tell me how she's the best person for the job, tell me why she deserves this honor, tell me why I should be proud of her for things she did rather than something decided in her mother's womb. Tell me why she represents me and my country. Don't try to guilt me into accepting her as the face of my country.
I guess today's a proud day for women if you tell me so, but personally, it feels like it's a far prouder day for sycophants.
Buddha Ram
URL
June 16, 2007
03:24 AM
That the Congress had run out of imagination was obvious by their method of search, but, their choice shows they also lack serious political thought. The indecisiveness of the Congress seems to inspire the BJP too now. Suddently, there seems to be no commitment on Shekawath!
Chandra
June 16, 2007
04:11 AM
Amrita
Good one.
The whole process is like a comedy, nothing less.
cheers
The Itinerant Indian
URL
June 16, 2007
07:16 AM
Well, the only reason she will make it through is that no one will want to be seen as stalling India's chance at having a woman president. The problem is that this was not an attempt to put a woman in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Had that been the case, we have a number of eminent and qualified women whose name would have come up for discussion.
Pratibha Patil's elevation to the post is a foregone conclusion. The issue with how the position was filled remains.
In a sense this is a master stroke by Sonia. I guess she realised that most Indians would not want to let go of the chance to put a woman there, politics and principles notwithstanding.
I think we are stuck with the lady- Sonia!
Now that we have arrived at this point, it is important the Congress lets her slip into the role with grace. No public kow-towing to Sonia, please. The picture of her holding Sonia's hand is not endearing. Neither is the pressure from her party to change her name doing the situation any good.
For those inclined to political correctness: the term Rashtrapati is sexist, isnt it? We have, however been referring to Bangladesh's President in similar terms, if I am not mistaken
AM
June 16, 2007
08:22 AM
Well some of these quiet types can get things done in their own quiet way;)
Sanjay Garg
URL
June 16, 2007
11:14 AM
The Itinerant Indian: Good points! On the rashtrapati issue, maybe this will cause some language expert to coin a more appropriate term.
@Amrita: here are a few more items to add to PP's resume:
- former table tennis champion
- served as cabinet minister in no less than six governments from 1972-85 handling portfolios including health, housing and education
- served as deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha from 1986-88
btw, the Shiv Sena has indicated that they will break ranks with the NDA to side with Patil because she is a Maharashtrian .
Prem
June 16, 2007
11:38 AM
Excellent point that being a woman should not in itself make it honorable. We need equality, not a form of reservation for the president's post. Given the "walking on egg-shells" state of our politics, competence is not the factor -- but how uncontroversial their bio is. And given that sycophancy is the essence of Congress, this is all no surprise.
Indian
June 16, 2007
12:08 PM
Nice post. Good points. Also read: http://offstumped.nationalinterest.in/2007/06/15/pratibha-patil-for-president-a-close-look-at-her-record/
Amrita
URL
June 16, 2007
12:19 PM
Hey everybody, thanks for reading and of course, taking the time to comment!
Buddha Ram - well, the writing's been clear on the wall for a while now as far as disparity between the two parties is concerned. Everytime you ask the BJP questions, it's favorite answer seems to be: the Congress did it too! So, I wasn't surprised by the Shekhawat fiasco.
Chandra - thanks! :)
TI Indian - well, the latest is that the NDA is going to fight female with female and plans to field a female candidate of its own. Somebody whack these nuts on the noggin. How old do they think we are? Rashtrapati is sexist, now that you bring it up! But Rashtrapatni is kind of... well, I won't go there, lolz. But while I agree that if they were looking for a token woman then I would've appreciated someone else - I can't think of anyone. which is a pretty sad statement by itself.
AM - let's hope so, certainly! :)
Sanjay - thanks! and HAHAHA @ former table tennis champion! Hey, now I like her! And yeah, I was reading some BJP-types talking about how this is a defeat for Sonia Gandhi and man, if I ever enter politics, I hope I get defeats like these! Lady not only got the Shiv Sainiks to break ranks but also wooed the Shekhawat community away! Politicking at it's most sublime.
Prem - thanks :) I understand this is somehow supposed to make a difference to the women's reservation bill. I hope not.
Hardy
June 17, 2007
10:36 PM
Nice Article...
I consider it as little derogatory to women ,the way whole drama got enacted and reflected in public. Our Women are strong enough to make it to top on shear merit.
An Aside, The other day I went through Thapar's(Karan) column where he revealed how selecting a woman candidate for the post of President was his brainchild. He had suggested the idea about a month back to UPA and allies though according to him he did not even have the remotest idea if he would be taken seriously in the time to come.
Vinay
June 18, 2007
04:56 AM
Dear Sister Amrita,
India needs a mother now to understand the plight of her millions of hungry children. It's easy to comment sitting in an 'ivory tower'.
Ms Patil is a mother and that's enough.
Vinay J
Political Analyst
Atlantean
URL
June 18, 2007
05:21 AM
Looks like a woman president for the sake of a woman president!
I read somewhere that the Left and the Congress struck a deal - the Congress would get to choose the Presidential candidate while the Left would have its say on who the VicePresident will be. Then, the Left would have two Left leaning members as the Speaker and Chairman of the two Houses :)
Sujai
URL
June 18, 2007
05:29 AM
I don't think we need a President. It is such a waste of time and money. The worse punishment you can give to a very dynamic and effective individual in India is to make him/her a President.
Look what it did to Kalam. His five years were such a waste of time for him and for others.
Why do we need this figurehead anyway? When he/she is supposed to be a rubber stamp I don't know what he/she would be doing up there.
I believe strongly that we don't need a President of India. Instead, the Prime Minister post can be combined with this post, and he/she could be elected directly by the people (instead of intermediaries who seem to hijack the will of the people).
The Itinerant Indian
URL
June 18, 2007
06:18 AM
Please read my article on the role of the president and see if the logic appeals to you.
theitinerantindian.blogspot.com
Amrita
URL
June 18, 2007
10:16 AM
Atlantean - huh, hadnt heard that. I generally discount conspiracies but now that you mention it, the VP's a more useful person to have in the bag.
Sujai - dream on :) The figurehead position is pretty interesting to me because I think there is value to be found in having an official "face". Problem is very few of them seem to have been comfortable with it. I was reading sometime back that none of the Presidents have ever occupied the official (former) Viceregal apartments because they were a bit intimidated by its opulence. I guess that's better than having a president who's a little too taken with it but you can read all kinds of subtext into it too.
TiIndian - thanks :) I'll check it out.
Amrita
URL
June 18, 2007
10:19 AM
Atlantean - huh, hadnt heard that. I generally discount conspiracies but now that you mention it, the VP's a more useful person to have in the bag.
Sujai - dream on :) The figurehead position is pretty interesting to me because I think there is value to be found in having an official "face". Problem is very few of them seem to have been comfortable with it. I was reading sometime back that none of the Presidents have ever occupied the official (former) Viceregal apartments because they were a bit intimidated by its opulence. I guess that's better than having a president who's a little too taken with it but you can read all kinds of subtext into it too.
TiIndian - thanks :) I'll check it out.
Sanam
June 18, 2007
02:31 PM
News is appearing that Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has said that he will back down, if Kalam accepts to contest the elections.
Now if Kalam accepts, then this will be a contest between merit and quota politics.
Amrita
URL
June 18, 2007
02:41 PM
We can only hope :) but i think its unlikely because kalam has been pretty categorical that unless he's a consensus candidate, he's not willing to take it up again.
Sujai
URL
June 19, 2007
02:30 AM
#16:
Now if Kalam accepts, then this will be a contest between merit and quota politics.
I don't know what you are talking about. What is so meritorious about Kalam? Is being an engineer and heading a missile program a necessary qualification to become a President of India? Or being a bachelor or Muslim a qualification to become a President of India?
What is merit got to do with becoming President?
If it is indeed about merit, I guess, we should have an entrance test followed by an interview by a panel to select the future President.
If ever there is any qualification, I would assume that it would be some experience in politics of India- its administration, its elections, being accountable to a democratic institution- which Kalam fails on all counts.
On the other hand, this lady - Pratibha Patil - is actually 'meritorious' compared to Kalam on all counts. She was a lawyer, an administrator, a politician, an elected people's representative, and a governor (acting as caretaker of constitution).
Indians grow up NOT knowing what merit is all about. They want to associate it with everything including elected leaders of India. Is there a desired qualification to become an MP or MLA in India? And if there is none, why do you think it is so?
Indians cannot have Bill Gates or Steve Jobs EVER because we will always measure a person by his degree, which school he went to in kindergarten, which college he attended, how many certifications he passed, what was his rank in IAS, etc.
I guess the yuppie urban Indians who get educated in protected environs would rather select their MPs/MLAs through an entrance test. Then they will attend tutorial schools, mug up for the exam to become the legislators of this country.
Anand Menon
June 27, 2007
07:12 AM
There's a comment on Amrita Rajan's site where someone says"Thats a pretty nice write up about Ms Pratibha Patil. This is great moments for India and especially women in India."
Going by the dirt Indian Express has been digging up it appears that Ms Patil hasn't been completely above board when she disbursed loans to her kin when she was a director of a bank..The paper reports.."Four years ago, when the Reserve Bank of India cancelled the licence of the bank that UPA Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil set up in the name of women empowerment, waiving loans for her relatives wasn’t the only irregularity it detected...." here's the complete story...
Patil was aware of her bank mess, top defaulters her kin
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/202794.html
All said and done we CANNOT have someone with less than a perfect record as OUR FIRST CITIZEN...and we just can't have her simply because Ms Patil says she has a divine premonition about a larger responsibility......where was her divine premonition when her kin were about to default??
Sorry....who ever you are who posted that commented on Ms Rajan's site...if these are the women who are going to be our First Ladies then i fail to see how these are "great moments for women in India"
There's also a larger pattern emerging here...politicians on the boards of banks,kith and kin get unsecured loans,kith and kin default,bank faces closure and censure from RBI,Bank licence cancelled,kitha nd kin go scot free,directors melt into darkness.
here's another related story ...with the same Congress Party at play here..
Need experts, get political directors off my back: PSU bank chief goes public
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/202685.html
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