Opportunism is having field day in K’taka

By K. Natwar Singh

From May 1966 to April 1967, I worked in Indira Gandhi’s Secretariat. I used to sit in the back seat with her in the Ambassador car she used. Her secretariat consisted of PN Haksar — a guru, mentor and policymaker with a distinct affiliation to Left — one joint secretary, information adviser BG Vergehese for a short while, Sharda Prasad and me. Later, an under-secretary was also added. Today the Prime Minister’s Office is much larger. In Mrs Gandhi’s time, the PM’s secretariat functioned as a well-knit team.

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The recent events in Karnataka have in no way enriched the ethical and moral foundations of our democracy. All three parties lost — the Congress, BJP and the JD(S). Leaders of 20 opposition parties recently assembled in Bengaluru for the swearing-in of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, son of HD Deve Gowda.

The Congress’ tally is 78 and that of its partner 37. It is a case of the tail wagging the dog (not a happy expression). A photo that attracted the most attention was of Sonia Gandhi and Mayawati embracing each other. Ideologically, the two are poles apart. The only common “ideology” is: down with the BJP i.e. M/s Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.  

A team of 20 semi-losers is lacking the political glue. The tallest leader — in more ways than one — is Sharad Pawar. He is unlikely to accept the leadership of any one of them. Sonia Gandhi emulates her mother-in-law, who was ‘left of self-interest’(not my phrase). She quite clearly lacks political skills, confidence and guts that Mrs Indira Gandhi had. The Congress party, regardless of Gujarat and Karnataka, has a long way to go. The spark is so far missing.

Hence, euphoria of the Congress party is premature. It lost 44 seats in Karnataka. As Harold Wilson, the leader of the British Labour Party and Prime Minister, said, “A week is a long time in politics.” The opposition parties are already pinning their hopes on forming a non-BJP government in New Delhi. Will their so-called “alliance” survive even a few months? The contradictions are too many. What does Kumari Mamata have in common with Chaudhary Ajit Singh? Or What does Akhilesh Yadav share with Kamal Nath?  

What will be the CMP (common minimum programme) of the Karnataka government? What will Chief Minister Kumaraswamy do with DK Shivkumar, the most tireless strategist of the Congress party? He is sulking. He naturally expected to be rewarded with a senior cabinet post. Without his planning and foresight, clear-headedness and self-confidence, the Congress and Kumaraswamy would have been out in the wilderness.  Politicians (with the exception of Gandhi) are not saints. To ignore Shivkumar is an amazing folly. I have not met him for over a dozen years. When I knew him well, I could not but observe his political acumen and understanding of and passion for politics.

The self-complacency of the BJP could cost it dear. That its graph is on a downward slide is a common talk. It has a forceful leader. His second-in-command has a few lessons to learn i.e. India is not Gujarat or vice-versa. Alas! Indian political activity is suffering from an acute deficit of political integrity, disdain for ethics and morality. Opportunism is having a field day in Karnataka. The CM has won the floor test. The BJP members walked out, giving the government a psychological advantage. Stand up and be counted. The CM is walking on a very thin ice.

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Twenty years ago, the following item appeared in the prestigious Zambia Daily Mail published in Lusaka. I was at that time the High Commissioner to Zambia.

“Zambia is to recall all unmarried women from its missions abroad because their sexual habits are damaging the country’s reputation,” the government- owned newspaper quoted then Foreign Minister Siteke Mwale as saying. The women were “flirting and becoming pregnant” and misbehaving with foreigners. 

The minister was quoted as saying many secretaries had become pregnant, bringing a bad name to the Zambian foreign service. Consequently, all women serving abroad would be transferred home, he reportedly said. It makes amusing reading, but does not reflect the ground reality. Africans are in some ways far more enlightened than many so-called morally “advanced” countries. In no African language does the word bastard exist. If a child is born outside wedlock, no stigma is attached to it. His unmarried father looks after the child till he becomes old enough to work in the fields with his mother or work as a domestic help.