Gopal Gandhi in fray

Cracks that had appeared in Opposition unity during the delay in the announcement of the presidential candidate have been adequately repaired with the unanimous selection of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, for the office of Vice-President. A retired IAS officer, diplomat and former Governor of West Bengal, Gopal Gandhi was high on the Opposition list of candidates for the office of President. Even then there was a near unanimity on Gopal Gandhi’s name but the Opposition, in its wisdom, chose to wait for the BJP name, which forced a change in track. Nitish Kumar’s RJD parted ways with other opposition parties that needlessly got sucked into the BJP play of Dalit politics. 

While on merits Gopal Gandhi deserves to occupy the office of Vice-President and is a worthy successor to the present incumbent, Hamid Ansari, the Congress and other 17 parties collectively do not have the required number of MPs to ensure his win. As Governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009, Gopal Gandhi had won many admirers with his bold criticism of the Left government’s handling of the Nandigram protests. He has spoken out whenever an occasion demanded — be it the partisan role of the CBI, whom he has described as “a government hatchet”, or mob violence in the name of cow protection. 

In naming their vice-presidential nominee opposition parties have taken care not to repeat the mistakes or allow glitches that had marked the selection of their presidential candidate. The choice has been made well before the BJP, which, according to reports, is looking towards the South or the North-East for an appropriate vice-presidential face. The BJP leadership, guided often by considerations other than the stature or suitability of a candidate for the august office, likes to spring surprises. There will be pressure not to go in for a novice. Since the Vice-President heads the Rajya Sabha, where the BJP still cannot push through crucial legislation in the absence of sufficient numbers, the party may take care not to field a lightweight who could upset its political calculations. The BJP will be hard put to match the Opposition choice.