The Power Of No

She called it her inner voice. But it sounded like an earsplitting victory cry to the Opposition. Sonia Gandhi introduces a moral language that is foreign to many in Indian politics. Can it work? Update

May 31, 2004

T. Narayan

High melodrama and primetime theatrics marked Sonia Gandhi's repudiation of the office of prime minister last week. On the one hand, Congressmen beat their breasts in full view of TV cameras; on the other, "pasta" jokes clogged SMS channels. Indifferent to both, Sonia, like Julius Caesar hundreds of centuries before her, was repeatedly offered the crown and firmly turned it down each time. By opting for the role of Rajmata rather than Rani Ma, she not only enhanced her stature but punctured the Sangh parivar's campaign against her even before it got off the ground. But by emerging as a parallel power centre, she has also created a dichotomy between the office of the PM and that of Congress president. It is now clear that Manmohan Singh, the incumbent prime minister, will have to liaise with 10, Janpath over every important decision and therein could lie the seeds of future discord.

Sonia gave no tangible reasons for stepping aside other than an "inner voice" which urged her to reject the office of prime minister. In the ensuing sycophancy that was unleashed, no one asked her...

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