In the final analysis, it is sound common sense of the people that helped. They made it clear that they didn’t want crooked politicians protected in any way.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given evidence of institutional discretion, a strong sense of balance, and sound political judgment in not being provoked by his opponents to resign in the wake of the “ordinance episode” just months before a general election and has shown the courage to guide his Cabinet to withdraw the ordinance.
The Prime Minister’s departure would have sent shockwaves around the country and Dr Singh would have been perceived to be on the wrong side of history for, in effect, supporting an ordinance that attracted public condemnation.
On his way back from the United States on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s remarks on the brusque manner in which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi ambushed the ordinance that lets convicted legislators keep their seats, and targetted the government Dr Singh runs, were marked by dignity and an acute awareness of the complex political circumstances created by Mr Gandhi’s intervention and the indecorous attack on the Prime Minister by his detractors.
Once the Congress vice-president made it clear where he stood, there was little doubt that the controversial ordinance was going to be stillborn. On Wednesday, once the Congress core group — that includes the Prime Minister and party president Sonia Gandhi — officially reversed its earlier decision on the ordinance, the direction of events became apparent.
After making some initial noise, the Congress’ UPA allies also indicated they would not march out of step with the Congress, although the instigator of the dramatic cycle of events since Friday was the Congress vice-president, and not his mother, who is the architect of the UPA.
Before the ordinance had been cleared by the Cabinet and sent to the President for signature, its basic points were introduced as a bill in the Rajya Sabha and sent to the standing committee for deliberation. This proposed legislation (on the question of how to deal with convicted legislators in view of a landmark Supreme Court ruling in July) would, in due course, come before the Lok Sabha. There it is likely to be given short shrift since both the Congress and the BJP will oppose it, not to say the Left, which from the start was against the idea of showing consideration to tainted legislators.
Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary this year could have been a day when much could have gone seriously wrong. The Prime Minister could have turned in his papers. The President could have returned the ordinance. The Union Cabinet could have persisted with a hated executive order. But a sense of calm responsibility has guided us through many a trap. In the final analysis, it is sound common sense of the people that helped. They made it clear that they didn’t want crooked politicians protected in any way.
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