The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : No getting away from sycophancy?

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Monday, Aug 23, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

No getting away from sycophancy?

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI, AUG. 22. She is the "high command" for the rank and file of the Congress. More so now than ever before. But, there is one diktat of the all-powerful Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, that every Congress worker dares to defy. Try as she might, Ms. Gandhi has not been able to rid the quintessential Congress worker of the habit of singing hosannas to the party president and Saturday's meeting of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) was no exception.

It was probably too much to expect the party functionaries and workers to rein themselves in. After all, this was the first AICC meeting after Ms. Gandhi steered the party back to the helm of affairs at the Centre from its third and longest-ever exile. They could not — rather would not — stop themselves from singing paeans to their leader despite repeated reminders from other central-level leaders to speak on the main resolution.

The leaders themselves were singing paeans to her and the `Nehru-Gandhi parivar.' The party general secretary, Janardhan Dwivedi, may have been quick to turn down a demand from the delegates that Ms. Gandhi's son, Rahul Gandhi, be allowed to sit on the stage with senior leaders but could not stop himself from describing the meeting as "historic" because of the Amethi MP's presence.

The Water Resources Minister, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, waxed eloquent: "The Nehru family is not a family but a movement, a conviction, secularism and sacrifice ... Rahul Gandhi is not dynasty, he is part of the movement," he said in an echo of the outpouring of the former Congress president, Devkanta Barooah, in praise of the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, during the Emergency.

So blinded were the workers and leaders alike by the desire to wear their loyalty to Ms. Gandhi on their sleeve that few saw any need to acknowledge the presence of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, despite Ms. Gandhi's best efforts to portray him as the first among equals. The Grand Old Party was just not willing to take the cue from her on this count.

'Let us discuss issues'

Though Ms. Gandhi appeared much more at ease with the adulation than she was the last time the AICC met here two years ago, she minced no words in articulating her displeasure at the sycophancy. In her wrap-up speech, she broke away from the prepared text to say: "If you had spent less time praising [me], we could have accommodated 80 speakers instead of the 40 today. I hope next time we spend less time praising each other and more time discussing issues that affect the people."

Whether Ms. Gandhi's wish would become the command for the party is something not many will wager on. After all, old habits die hard and the Congress is the GOP of India.

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