The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : A superb lesson in democracy

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Thursday, May 20, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

A superb lesson in democracy

By Vaiju Naravane

PARIS, MAY 19. The press in Italy has commented widely on the dramatic events that have shaken India for the last three days. The French press too has commented on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's decision to decline the post of prime minister, but the coverage has been muted.

This is understandable. Ms. Gandhi was born in Italy and she has become something of a heroine there. The respected Milan daily, Corriere della sera, said that while a large number of Indians were celebrating Ms. Gandhi's victory, the losing side worked hard to reverse its defeat. Pressure tactics and threats against "the Italian" were so strong that the losers won. In a country that knows no half measures, the Nehru-Gandhi family had received more than its share of hatred. The alliance against Ms. Gandhi contained certain new elements — nationalists and populists, Indian and international financial interests, traders and speculators.

The paper said that the most virulent and ferocious attacks came from the BJP. Its leader tried to keep up his moderate face but caved in to pressure from the ranks when he agreed to boycott Ms. Gandhi's swearing-in ceremony. In conclusion, the Corriere della sera said that Ms. Gandhi resolved the question of her "foreignness" with grandeur and with a renunciation that would be remembered in history as having at her heart the good of India.

The influential Italian economic daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, commented on Ms. Gandhi's use of the word "humility," a word, its editorial said, was usually absent from the vocabulary of the political establishment. True, her nationality and the fact that she acquired Indian citizenship late, at the age of 37, was a problem. Nevertheless, Indians voted for her. However, it became clear that her nationality would be a stumbling block and stand in the way of effective government. The BJP lost the election, but narrow Hindu chauvinism bubbled up to the surface and would have prevented her from governing. "Now," Il Sole 24 Ore said, "in renouncing the leadership of 1.1 billion people, Sonia Gandhi has given proof not just of humility and courage but also of a profound love for India."

The Left leaning daily, l'Unita, described Ms. Gandhi's decision as "heroic." When the widow of Rajiv Gandhi said she was listening to her "inner voice," she was probably being completely honest, the paper said. Her choice was a reflection of her character and consistent with her legendary reluctance to stay out of politics. Some would say that her gesture lacked courage. But others would say that she engineered the renaissance of a party whose decline had left a dangerous vacuum that was filled by ultra-nationalists and extremists.

There was little attempt at comment or analysis in the French papers. The coverage by Le Monde, one of France's most distinguished dailies has been particularly disappointing. Apart from one blistering editorial which took the BJP to task for its ultra-nationalist and xenophobic proclivities, Le Monde has often taken recourse to agency copies, the only analytical piece it published being a French translation of Salman Rushdie's article in The Independent. This indifference to India is difficult to understand. There are some fine India specialists in France, including Christophe Jaffrelot, Jean-Luc Racine or Max Zins, who could have given the French perspective on the events in India.

The Left-wing daily, Liberation, too has been short on analysis and editorial comment, as if events in India were of little importance compared to the events in Iraq, the U.S. or Israel.

Some of the better reportage on India has come from the right-wing Le Figaro, the economic daily, Les Echos, and the communist daily, l'Humanite. Marie-France Calle writing in Le Figaro today said: "Since she succeeded in effecting the comeback not just of the Congress but also of the Nehru-Gandhi family, the ultra-nationalists have attempted to destabilise the `foreigner.' Some have not failed to take recourse to dramatic kitsch: Uma Bharti, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, resigned from her post in order to campaign against Sonia's prime ministership, while Sushma Swaraj, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting, sought a meeting with the President to protest and threatened to tonsure her head, wear white cotton, sleep on the hard floor and eat gram if Sonia became Prime Minister. Nor were the markets tender with Sonia, with Mumbai's golden boys shouting Sonia Hai, Hai."

In conclusion, Le Figaro said that within a week, India had in any case given a superb lesson in democracy to the world. A democracy whose star will remain Sonia Gandhi, "foreigner" or not.

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