Wanted: A President for India

By Manish Anand


Indian polity is abuzz with the talk of the next President of India. With the bar for the high post raised by many a notches by the two immediate Presidents, Dr A P J Kalam and Dr K R Narayanana, India requires another President who could further bring prestige and honour to the post.


But the Indian polity is threatening to overlook the bigger picture to accommodate their petty political designs.


As a constitutional head of the largest democracy in the world, the first citizen must command a good constitutional judgement along with the spine to take independent decisions. Also, the post would require him or her to prop the government and citizenry to further raise their levels.


Has there been a woman President of India in the last 60 years of independence? No, there was none. When the nation takes explicit care to have an inclusive growth and takes pride in having Presidents from the dalit and minority class, then why the Indian polity failed to have a woman President so far?


It's an injustice that none from half the population could rise to the top most post in India. Also, it explains in some ways why the Parliament has not been able to pass the Women Reservation Bill so far when the same has been successfully implemented in the Panchayati and municipal bodies.


A symbolic act by picking up a competent woman to occupy the highest position would hasten their effective empowerment. Also, it must be taken into account that Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister had instilled confidence and hope among women that they too could carve a

niche for themselves in the fast competitive world.

However, it would be a folly if an active politician is chosen for the high post. The reason being that Indian polity is undergoing through a churning process, which would keep throwing challenges to the President to ensure that the spirit of Constitution prevails and justice is done to all. Also, the post in no way be considered a retirement solution for the influential politicians. It would just embarrass the ever competitive Indians who want to be the best in the world.

The Congress and the BJP are in position to get their blue eyed baby to the high post. Also, the smaller parties have become smart to be herded around the bigger parties. So, the two leading parties could constitute a panel of five thinking people and come up with a list of five and the best among them be picked up at an all party meeting. Sonia Gandhi and L K Advani have seen enough politics by now to think big and could get the backing of A B Vajpayee and Somnath Chaterjee for an eventual selection.

Would the Indian polity rise to the occasion and bless the people with a President who can instill pride in people. Let's watch the unfolding of the process.

Great churning

By Manish Anand

It's a monumental churning in UP that Mayawati swept to power with a full majority. A feat achieved after a span of 14 years by any party and positions her Bahujan Samaj Party firmly in the heart of the Indian politics. This also consigns to oblivion the mathematical politics of the BJP, Samajwadi Party and the Congress.

The churning also puts the wayward mandalised politics on the backfoot with assertive dalits and brahmins combining together. And with few of the Brahmin ministers touching the dalit Mayawati's feet, the social engineering gets altogether interesting. A Brahmin advisor (Satish Chandra Mishra) helped an impulsive and directionless dalit mass leader (Mayawati) to capture the nerve of the UP people so firmly. It has to be read into and analysed further as here lies the future directions of the Indian politics.

Mulayam Singh Yadav with vote-bank of backward castes and Muslims gave UP crime, injustice and backwardness. The BJP with its vote-bank of forward caste and Baniya gave UP confusion on issues hardly affecting the daily lives of the people. It remains blindfolded to the fact that with millions of the poor around you the temple is least needed by the people. It's arrogance of having shroud mavericks in its fold, who dished out CD highly intolerable in a pluralist and secular society and who talked up of alliance with Mulayam Singh to whom it had alleged of having an ISI link, now lie in tatters.

The BJP in UP just proved that it's on the way to become insignificant soon with its superficial politics being paid least attention by the people. The Congress should rather pack up as its kid, another Gandhi avatar, proved that the party is guided by highly insensitive and disconnected people.

A sane voice must advice Rahul Gandhi that it's high time that he comes out of the mama's and papa's achievements and build a niche for himself. This UP election would definitely prove a big education for him.

Mayawati is most likely to reverse the path of UP going the Bihar way with strong hold on bureaucracy and law and order. The collective identity of UP, which was more identified by goons like Raja Bhaiya and Amarmani Tripathi, would hopefully go for an image makeover. She is most likely to make the bureaucracy come out of its British imperialism hangover and become a true servant of the people. This she could do if she is not caught in the web woven by the politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary to keep the status quo going.

And, people in UP could tolerate more statues of Kansi Ram and Dr Ambedkar along with elephants if they come up with law and order, development and social harmony.