Farce as principle
Opp should contest UPA's ploy

The dilly-dallying by the Congress in naming its - and, therefore, the UPA's - nominee for the presidential race is at last over. After being bullied by the Left into dropping her favourite contender for the President's post, Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has chosen a person who is utterly colourless, evokes little or no emotive response and whose sole qualification is her loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family. This is not to suggest that Ms Pratibha Patil has no sterling qualities; it is entirely possible she has far too many of them to be listed here, but it is doubtful whether any of these make her truly deserving of the job at stake. In any event, the manner in which the theatre of the absurd has played itself out, Ms Patil is really irrelevant to the issues that have come to the fore. Not only has Ms Gandhi's strenuous effort to put the Left in its place by pushing Mr Shivraj Patil as the UPA's candidate horribly backfired, it has irrevocably established that the comrades wield the veto in this regime. Having demonstrated its power to negate the preference of the person whose authority seemingly looms larger than that of a meek Prime Minister, the Left is not particularly bothered about the obvious political chicanery behind the pathetic attempt to float the idea of honouring Indian womanhood by electing a woman President in the 60th year of India's independence with the sole purpose of justifying the nomination of Ms Patil. The lowest common denominator that settled Thursday's choice is now being projected as a value-based decision with the highest noble purpose.

This is as laughable as the expectation voiced by the Prime Minister and his benefactor that the Opposition will be a willing collaborator in this farce. Backing the UPA candidate is not about supporting women's empowerment but legitimising a flawed decision; any consensus on this would tar the Opposition's credibility more than it has sullied the image of the incumbent regime and those who control the levers of power, either from within or outside. Any talk about the need for the Opposition to be chivalrous and gracefully withdraw from the race should be treated with nothing more than cold contempt. The hot air balloon floated by the Congress and cheered by the Left - that their nominee represents their commitment to women's empowerment and is a tribute to India's womanhood - deserves to be punctured without any remorse, if only to contest and defeat the overt casteist politics that has been forced upon the electors by a shameless ruling alliance. At this stage, it is anybody's guess as to how the race will end; had the Congress and its allies, including the Left, been absolutely sure about the outcome, then perhaps they would not have to strike out several names before agreeing on one that has left people wondering about the relevance of India's President. Is he or she only meant to sign on the dotted line and do the Government's bidding? Or is the President the custodian of India's republican values? The BJP, as the main Opposition party, has done the right thing by spurning the Prime Minister's spurious appeal for consensus. It is ridiculous to talk of consensus after deciding the candidate and presenting the Opposition with a fait accompli. That is how 'democracy' works in the Left's backyard also known as West Bengal. India can't tread the same path.