Touche, Mrs. Gandhi

Some people say from experience that when you spit against the wind, it comes right back at you. Scratch that. I have a better simile here.

The Aborigines in Australia use a boomerang to do things, and they are pretty good at it too. It is supposed to fly out, do its thing, and come back safely to the thrower without causing any harm. The Indian Con'gress has been very active in the Parliament lately. They disqualified Jaya Bachchan on the grounds that she was holding an office of profit.

Okay, so you try to hurt the opposition, but in our 'vibrant' democracy, the opposition does not sit still, and in fact, they found a bigger arrow in their quiver, big enough to take down the biggest of them all, the Godmother, the Grand Lady of Congress, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi herself.

I had written yesterday about the ordinance that the government was trying to pass so as to take her and a number of other important allies out of the ambit of such a charge, but apparently the ordinance would have taken time, and by the time it would have been passed, considerable damage could have been done. So Mrs. Gandhi chooses to resign, as an MP and as the head of the National Advisory Council. I mean, its definitely better to resign than be disqualified, right?

The spin doctors in Congress have been busy too. Now this is the second supreme sacrifice from their Goddess after she gave up the chance to be the Prime Minister of India. Her reaction to the media, her statements all point to the deep anguish that the opposition caused and that she would never use her office for personal benefit. I respect the lady, let there be no doubt about it, but I can only chuckle at how this funny politics plays out. Apparently one political party's poison is also another political party's poison sometimes.

And now, Sonia Gandhi sacrifices Parliamentary seat!

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has decided to resign as the Lok Sabha member from Rae Bareilly constituency as well as chairperson of National Advisory Council in the wake of the mounting pressure stemming from the Opposition, especially BJP, on the issue of holding a position of profit.

The Opposition alleged that the Congress was trying to bring in a law to protect its chief.
In an emotionally worded statement, Sonia, speaking to the press, expressed her deep anguish and pain over the allegations. She reiterated her earlier stand that she would never use her party position to benefit personally in any manner.

However, nowhere in the Constitution has an office-of-profit been described, but the controversy did cost Jaya Bachchan her job as an MP in the Rajya Sabha when the President of India A P J Abdul Kalam accepted her resignation.

However, this may also be a genius stroke with which to beat the Opposition. She had done a similar exercise at time of 2004 elections by refusing to don the mantle of Prime Minister of India even though her Congress Party had majority in Parliament.
---------------------------------------------------------

This is a great sacrifice: Congress

"I am glad at what she has done. She will be accepted by the people and she will stronger. So her decision is widely acceptable," Union Science and Technology minister Kapil Sibal said.

The Congress leaders also said that this is an example to be followed and the party has proved a point with the Samajwadi Party.

“We have unmasked both SP and BJP. They are one and the same. Sonia has made a great sacrifice to uphold morality,” Senior Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said.
-----------------------------------------------------------

As for the BJP's reaction.....

Sonia resignation a diversionary tactic: Rajnath

BJP President Rajnath Singh today attributed Congress President Sonia Gandhi's resignation as MP and Chairperson of the National Advisory Council to her "not having the courage to face Parliament and the Election Commission".

"We never questioned the faith of the people of Rae Bareli in her. We only said it was against the dignity and decorum to hold an office of profit as a Member of Parliament. If our allegation was wrong, she should have faced Parliament or the Election Commission.

Asked whether other "affected MPs", including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and BJP's own V K Malhotra, too should follow suit, the party Chief said, "we will go by the Constitution and rule of law". Meanwhile, BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi dismissed Gandhi's resignation as "yet another drama, which is bound to flop at the box office".

"Political weapon used by Sonia Gandhi against Jaya Bachchan has boomeranged. It has created an unprecedented political chaos in Indian democracy", he said.