A Salute - Welcoming Shri Rahul Gandhi

A solemn salute to welcome

Shri Rahul Gandhi

For donning the mantle of a leader of extreme calibre

Woven through years of struggle by renowned personalities

From the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi and in succession by

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi, Shri Rajiv Gandhi and 

Upheld in the same measure by Smt. Sonia Gandhi to be held aloft today by Shri Rahul Gandhi

The Indian National Congress or INC holds an unenviable record of having achieved a stunning victory for which it was formed. Constituted on 28^th December, 1885 the INC committed itself wholeheartedly to enlist the support of natives with a specific purpose namely, to emancipate the nation and people from the clutches of foreign rule. As a sequel to this development, the national tricolour went up the mast at Lahore on a cold morning of 26^th January 1930. The unfurling of the flag was carried out by none other than Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru himself.  That very same day INC was declared an independent and separate entity entrusted with a unique purpose of steering the nation out of a turmoil borne out of alien rule and domination of their motherland. 

No individual, group or society, least of all the very natives themselves, would ever suffer their motheland to be held under fire or allow it to be gradually engulfed in to a conflagration.  This could not only jeopardize the rhythem of life for people and their descendants but was also fraught with serious repercussions for posterity.  Exploited and stripped clean of its colour and gait, the nation could no longer tolerate subjugation at the hands of foreign power which, in effect were intruders in to their motherland. Hitherto much had been sacrificed by way of dignity and lives.  Alien laws were thrust upon a people who were yet to earn a right to possession what to speak of freedom of breathing peace.  Centuries passed but to no avail.  The claimants to a land they were born and bread of were compelled to move around with fetters fastened to a yoke of suppression endured by them for centuries.  Indeed, when it came to living a life of their own, they were barred beyond torturous fetters. 

It was therefore, imperative that India which saw much bloodshed including toll of lives of people entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding lives, territories or reputation of rulers, emperors, dynasties and kingdoms with hardly a breathing space within their own motherland made one last ditch effort to drive foreigners away.  This certainly called for a massive struggle for freedom and the entire nation was therefore, on their feet to snatch back or retrieve their motherland.  That was in the year 1857 when a spirited struggle for freedom from foreign rule gained ground and soon the rumbling started being felt beyond the periphery of closed doors and offices. It was then that a ray of hope seemed visible to a people groaning under age’s yoke.  What would otherwise have been deemed to be a farfetched dream for a nation that was struggling to be counted as an entity in a world of advancd knowledge, education and technology, all of a sudden came alive in unison, with vigor and determination to wrest control of the land from foreigners.  In a final thrust under the able leadership of eminent intellectuals and renowned men of caliber and under a newly constituted symbol namely the INC, a novel identity was established and people unitedly strained every nerve to the extent of embracing martyrdom and fought single handed setting aside all differences arising out of colour, creed, culture or language.

INC took the lead in the struggle which got a boost as Mohanadas Karamchamd Gandhi made a spectacular headway with his non-cooperation and civil disobedience movement through a massive and gigantic weapon namely “Non violence”. 

No amount of weariness, hungar, scarcity or desolation could deter the invigorated and determined mob from procrastinating on the one only and immediate aspiration uppermost in their minds viz. liberation of motherland. This way everyone equivocally and under the able guidance and astute stewardship of a triumvirate namely Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammed Jinnah took on the British rulers unmindful of what could have befallen their fate if per chance the then ruling elite came down heavily on them to quell the violence or set at naught their one only and common goal of freedom from foreign rule.  The people of India eventually realized that the stars were looking up and a goal they were after was well nigh and within their sight.  What was needed was a blind following of a leadership which professed vision and determination for reaching a culmination under an armed struggle of national importance.

Gandhiji assumed the leadership of Indian National Congress as President during the year 1921. Prior to his arrival on the Indian scenario the mahatma had successfully led two revolutions in South Africa to the delight of natives there. His arrival on the Indian scene was seen as a refreshing light in view of his educational background which enabled him to communicate freely with the British rulers. He actively participated in a Satyagraha in support of indigo farmers at Champaran and followed it up with another successful campaign against enhanced taxes and revenues imposed at Kheda in Gujarat. As President of INC he decided to revamp the organization with special focus on setting up offices in remote areas of the country. Simultaneously, he also outlined principles of Satyagraha whereby the membership of INC  started growing larger day by day.

Even so, there were teething problems which needed to be resolved major among them being factional hurdles with a random few among the activists resorting to extremist agenda.  Men who personified extremist tendencies within the consortium of people from all walks of life were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal among others, who manifested tendencies which failed to match non-violent policies followed by Mahatma Gandhi. 

Apart from a host of varying perceptions that posed a major challenge to braving the onslaught by British government in power, was the diverse culture that separated two warring religious majorities namely Hindus and Muslims whose rivalry had not abated for many centuries.  However, such internal vibrations could not in any manner pose hurdle for a nation that was beset with a dilemma of immense magnitude namely a hijack of its administrative machinery by foreign powers. Such indigenous problems could not in any manner deter the Indian National Congress from establishing a foothold firmly within farflung areas of an undivided India. Mahatma Gandhi was in full control of the outfit and party as its President, as well as fully competent to take on the British through his peace initiative and diplomatic strategies. Incidentally, the formation of INC and subsequent agenda followed by reforms set forth by Mahatma Gandhi had a chronology of events unfolding to the delight of an exuberant crowd spilling on the streets at the mere call of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Riding high on the waves of an enthusiastic nation and an exuberant crowd ready to fall in the line of fire for the liberation of their country, Mahatma Gandhi sought to firmly establish his move against British by specifically working against caste differences, untouchability, poverty and religious and ethinc boundaries.  Although India was a predominantly Hindu nation, yet INC had within its membership people from every religion, ethnic group, economic and linquistic class.

There were surprises too for the INC as the newly appointed Viceroy to India namely Lord Irwin publicly favoured a dominion status for India and pushed for the issue to be discussed threadbare in London during 1930 and 1931.  However, neither of the conference could achieve a result beyond a halt on the question of religion.

Driven to the wall by an indomitable agitation by a high pitched populace and maddening crowd of undivided India, the British were left with no option but to bow before the wishes of natives and order a retreat.  Mahatma Gandhi achieved the impossible to the delight of a nation already plundered of its enormous resources and wealth.  The INC succeeded in achieving its end with resounding success and a jubilant Indian National Congress rode in triumph to the present day Parliament House for a victory celebration.  The calendar proclaimed it as the 15^th day of August, 1947.  This way a nation was born out of the exploited culture through centuries of foreign rule.

The last Viceroy and first Governor General of independent Union of India namely Lord Mountbatten announced the partitioning of the British Empire in to India and Pakistan under the Independence Day Act, 1947.  On 26^th January, 1950 India became a secular and democratic republic whereby a new Constitution was adopted.

The exit of British rule hearalded a new era in the archives of Indian history.  Not only did it throw open trade, industry and indigenous culture to flourish at the hands of natives, rather it even set the pace for progress and development of a by now partitioned India. However, all credit ought to go to the Indian National Congress which consortium of indigenous personalities made freedom a reality and set about by guiding the teeming millions of this vast sub-continent under the able guidance of those very architects of Indian Liberation movement.       

For achieving independence, the INC held behind it a whole nation of enthusiastic men and women, dedicated to the core. That was during the forties.  Save for a few stray, scattered and insignificant number of opposition groups endorsing certain outdated, mutilated and uneven views and strategies that too concentrated mainly in the North, the entire nation was wholly united under one banner of forging a path towards the zenith of achievements. Indian National Congress became a force to reckon with and the party so projected became a symbol of oneness for many decades thereafter.

A pause is needed here!  One must not lose sight of the fact that the period of struggle was one of dedication, mutual trust and perseverance.  There is need also to remember that it was essentially an age of submissiveness not of compulsion which earned the nation a spectacular success. There was an air of Godliness, an environment of cooperation but above all there was a ray of faith, hope and charity within the minds of one and all.  It was a period when people realized the need to foster charity for one another – Charity that chimes out of a Christian refrain and which fosters love for one another. Till the time British ruled the nation, there was a monitoring apparatus namely ‘Faith – Hope & Charity’ for suppressing tempers arising out of high handedness by one group or the other be it even Hindu Muslim riots or similar uprisings.

The British left the country but left behind a legacy as well which was attributed to Christian charity that kindles within people of diverse faiths and culture a sublime sense of godliness or charity for one another. Incidentally, the refrain went on to inspire the nation and people for few decades thereafter till it faded in to a quagmire of ‘Hindustan’.  However, there is need to remember that a sense of brotherhood can seep in to people’s conscience only if they set aside their differences with regard to faith and worship, which in a society of diverse beliefs and religious cultures it amounted to asking for too much. The end result was that an enduring communal harmony was loath to come about.

In essence, it was that very same Christian refrain which bound people together and which ultimately rewarded the nation with what has hitherto been nurtured by the Indian National Congress or for short the Congress Party for imparting a human touch to people both young and old.  However, the multitudes or the masses outside Congress Party have long since forgotten the bind that kept them together for many centuries.

Immediately after achieving independence the mob which was uptill now united under one struggle till the time India was partitioned asserted its fragility of mindset, culture and reasoning.  To a people that fought together in an environment of Christian charity a new nomenclature was imposed by a people who knew no broad perspectives. They started indulging in grabbing and depriving their neighbor of what ought to have been the due of others by right.  Close on the heels of a hard fought battle for independence and in an environmnent of diverse people, culture and religion was fastened a new yoke of individuality namely ‘Hindustan’  This divide exposed a people that were corrupt to the core. It exposed the mentality of a majority who were starving for a new culture namely ‘corruption’.

Quite elementary though because left to themselves the ‘Indian populace is adept at grabbing enormous resources including wealth left behind by the British.  Fortunately though, after the British left India all the fortune of wealth and resources came to them in abundance.  It was like raining divine manna straight out of the heavens. People neither expected nor were they worthy of such bounty bestowed on them with so hot a fortune, that too in abundance. Individuals and groups prospered, development soared all around, education gave them a boost and they the Indian masses came to be acquainted with what extra comfort and luxuries the world had in store for them. Resultantly, people started stepping up their ambitions till finally an ecstasy of having attained a hard fought freedom receded in to the horizon of a fading memory.  And in its place emerged a sudden jolt which made people and individuals disagree with one another. 

The well to do and more influential among the ones that inherited large fortune started exhibiting a show of arrogance.  These many started antagonizing the good that was being carried out by the dedicated men and women of yesteryears. A split was imminent because the more arrogant ones began to find loopholes within a system so carefully nurtured by the INC.  The long and short of it all is that with democracy throwing up a multiparty set up, there was room enough for unscrupulous people to hide their monstrous visage and assert their individuality through manipulation at various levels.  This way there came about a division among people, in their views, attitude and above all a psyche that promoted extremism of a political kind namely ‘corruption’.

A state of disagreement began to creep in and divisions started showing up in a people who reverted to perversity and corruption.  A new found craze to rename places started goading the minds of a people who were lavishly bestowed with unexpected wealth, luxury and comfort. A state of extravaganza made them lax in their commitments and blunt to the responsibility they took upon themselves through a Constitution which merely became an instrument that ensured the setting up of government which was to gift them a life of comfort while the government danced to people’s tune for serving their ends.  The new set up prompted the masses to scale heights above the elected government unmindful of the role they were required to perform.  In short a period of unscrupulousness and corruption took the nation by surprise. 

A nation that was an outcome of chaste dreams nurtured by its national leaders right from Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru onwards followed by his daughter Late Smt. Indira Gandhi and thereafter, her son Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi in sequence, and as cherished by worthy leaders of a large nation, became objects of smear campaign let loose by mean and narrow-minded people of little fame. 

Rather than upholding a sublime gift of independence achieved through hard fought struggle by the Indian National Congress was squandered away for mean objectives by people and elements that had their own irons in the fire. Parties grew up in numbers and leaders who gained a voice among restless and unscrupulous elements started flourishing to dictate terms to a government and people of eminence, as a result of which the government including dedicated and prominent people  of eminence had to succumb to dictates by these hoodlums in their bid to make a niche for themselves at the cost of the nation, its people and the lofty ideals for which the nation stood.  India which acquired a dedicated and charismatic leader in Smt. Sonia Gandhi was not spared either, rather even she was pelted with aspersions at will by people who managed to head a party or group, to the detriment of her own reputation as also of the party and folks she herded all through right from Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi’s demise.  All these made a dent in the image of a nation that was already at its zenith of achieving recognition among world powers.

Despite all odds, a dedicated Smt. Sonia Gandhi held on to her position in the interest of the nation and party.  All the glory and reputation achieved through years of struggle withered away due to selfish and partisan attitude by people whose only outlook was to achieve personal fame.  Howver, Smt. Indira Gandhi was resolute in her struggle to uphold values and reputation of the country.  In order to create a nitche for themselves each in his own narrow way chose to slam outright the Indian National Congress, its leaders and people within the government. The outcome of this fall out by narrow minded elements is what the present day parties portray in the break away groups under the style of BJP, RJD, BJD, BSP, DMK, ADMK and what have you?  These parties and people under similar outfits are presently basking in the shade of their own petty and mean minded interests not trustworthy for a nation that is galloping towards an age of superior glow and resonance.  The very nation which grouped under the Indian National Congress to carry the nation forward has broken away for self esteem and self projection on account of their mean minded attitude.

The present day parties and leaders who merely promote themselves under the guise of ‘politics’ are poles apart from what the leading figures of yesteryears had expected of them and for which they had laid down their lives. The unknown author of the quote “some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want” says it all!

Immediately after achieving independence, the nation had to occupy itself with national priorities which included among others to tame people into subordination, shed their barbarity and streamline a process that had to equal standards of an already advanced world.  But even as the process of chalking out remedial measures to set the wheels of the nation on rails, the country was overtaken by the threat of an ominous war that loomed large in the horizon, precisely the next door neighbour. 

If therefore, Indian National Congress be epitomized as the elite of the honest and righteous people who steered the Indian subcontinent then, then there is more than reason for the people to repose their faith in the one only consortium of like minded people (read INC) who have hitherto strained their every nerve to make India a vibrant power to take on the world. Incidentally an independent nation that managed to survive many devastating catastrophes, menacing wars, threatening civil strifes and shattering internal confrontations is due to celebrate its platinum jubilee a decade or so hence, all of which go to the credit of the Indian National Congress.  The INC has consistently served the nation keeping in mind the interest of diverse regions, communities and people.  However, spreading canard or alleging aspersions on people who dedicated their lives and service for the people and nation is by itself an act of extreme discourtesy. 

Moreover, most allegations are blown out of proportion to belittle that particular individual, unkindly targeted to allow hooting and clapping by ignorant street urchins, merely to elate oneself or to be projected by those very street urchins as saviors or applauded as gods or goddesses of a modern day world of crime and criminality. Yea, why not categorize these gods and goddesses as belonging to an unblemished category of divine perfection?  And these divinely appointed spirits forget for a while that those people whom they target are human being first, elected representatives next, people who dedicated their lives for the service of the nation in sequence besides being sons and daughters of the same soil as of today, sons & daughters of other human beings as well.  And for a split second these divine spirits even forget that the people they target have not deserted their posts, position, homes or the country.  What transpires thereafter is a spate of abusive gossips emerging from streets and corners of an otherwise dignified nation, with detest of the very people elected to represent the nation with dignity by the same street urchins by use of abusive reference to people who hold or hitherto held the reins of a country that millions of countrymen did elect with a mandate to govern the nation under a Constitution adopted by all on 26^th January, 1950.

Moreover, many of the allegations which do the round targeting these respectable, honest and dedicated men or women of caliber and reputation would have been blown out of proportion to hit where it hurts most.   Allegations that are seasoned, nursed to abusive limits, slept over for days to stretch them to areas of inaccessible untruth but above all jumbled up to compel a person to despair out of frailty or human finiteness.  Allegations which overwhelmingly rely on surmises, allegations which mostly arise out of casual hearsay, trumped up canard, or unauthenticated gossips.  As a matter of fact these allegations are cooked up to deliberately add leverage to gossips without any definite knowledge of what has transpired during the period of service put in by those elected representatives of people. 

These hooded elements spearheading accusations even forget that their acts solely smear the image of the nation, people or their achievements to levels of profanity and unthinkable sacrilege.  They also need to realize the sensitivity of issues which touch not only the nation, its outlook, its image and acceptability by the world but also to give due consideration to the spill over of such accusations which would not go down well with the ordinary, ignorant and uneducated people on the streets, who would least be competent to grasp the intricacies of allegations being floated by people who arrogantly exhibit a show of indisputable integrity. 

India is essentially a divided lot.  There can hardly be a consensus on any issue without allowing largesse to an opponent.  This holds equally good in all matters, be it on the streets, in business establishments or even on political platforms. As a matter of fact India is a unique country which carries with it an appaling picture of diversity in every sphere such as its culture, language, traditions, religious beliefs etc.  So why not on the issue of rumor mongering with the endangered topic called corruption?

Certain statistics stun the opposition. Some even stun the nation. However, all statistics stun the power hungry and starving lot among the opposition all. Even so, history will please the righteous citizens and people of a 1.3 billion nation who have within them the sublime truth and confidence in a government that is functioning to its very best.

INC or the Indian National Congress (1885-2012) which heads the UPA government at the Centre is the one only national party – repeating – the one only national party which has never altered its name, profile, agenda or its dedication.

INC is the only national party which has been associated with the greatest and renowned leaders of a free India since last 62 years before independence and 65 years after independence.

INC is the only national party which has never diluted its charisma, its ideology, its ideals, its dedication and its unique status be it within the party, within its leadership, within the nation or outside it.

However, the recent record breaks even the backbone of the opposition, that the communal party in connivance with Hazare, Ramdev and a few power hungry leading figures attempted to flay the alleged flaws within the government. They nevertheless, had to beat a retreat and break up in to fragments. The fragments then retreated in to the backyard of their own realm of greed and corruption to decide whether to enlist themselves under a political outfit or to wag on till the master noticed its movements.

Rumour mongering like backbiting, spitefulness and vengeance is a common vice among all people of diverse societies or groups.  However, alleging things or flinging aspersions on individuals, groups or government as have been reportedly overheard through hearsay or public gossips amount to a grave crime in a society which is bound by a government, law and judiciary.

Corruption is a state of moral perversity or eroded equilibrium which could as well be described as a hate campaign to defame someone else.  People who hoard money over themselves do so with a view to projecting themselves heads above others and the nefarious ways they achieve this end is a culmination of how base an Indian mindset can be.  Out of a culture of oneness that started during the freedom struggle emerged a vicious mindset bent on looking down upon others with scorn and detest.  And India like many other countries has joined the bandwagon with least regard for ethics-manners & etiquette or discipline in public or private lives.  In short the British held on to the Christian refrain of Charity and Love, which got transformed in to a state of animal wisdom or jungly culture. 

Corruption does not necessarily require wealth to become victim of greed. Corruption is an innate tendency to hate another in to suppression.  In effect it amounts to a liberation struggle of a peculiar kind viz. a struggle  to build up that which one gained out of someoneelse’s magnanimity and here that magnanimity refers to the decision of British to say to themselves in all humility ‘enough is enough’. 

The adage “sufficient for the day is the evil thereof” took its first ever toll after the undivided India was partitioned in to Pakistan including East Pakistan or present day Bangladesh on the one hand and an India of the present day era on the other.  

We must keep in mind the fact that only people with corrupt mentality, corrupt dealings and fully acquainted with what corrupt structure means alone would cry hoarse pointing finger at others. But people who are truly just or righteous will only think in terms of reforming a people, society or nation.  This is the one only attitude to redeeming the misguided on to a mainstream category of people. Spearheading falsehood or spreading canard about individuals is a sign of despair in their resolve to reform through peaceful means.  Law needs to catch up with such attitude which amounts to hooliganism under the hood of democratic agitation. 

The country is very much on rails and no amount of rocking carried out by the communal elements in tandem with regional parties and disgruntled elements can derail the government or the nation.  The present government under Indian National Congress has been doing the nation proud but someone needs an unbiased mind and that crucial intellect to decide and be convinced as to which way the country is developing and fast.

Much more remain to be said on Emergency, War and Corruption. They definitely will come in installments.  But never forget the fact that the nation is a crowd of more than 1.3 billion and for taking the teeming millions on an onward journey ahead, the nation must speak in one voice and be guided with one only hand namely the Indian National Congress! To be continued…………………. Cheerio, Bye!

Much more remain to be said on Emergency, War and Corruption. They definitely will come in installments.  But never forget the fact that the nation is a crowd of more than 1.3 billion and for taking the teeming millions on an onward journey ahead, the nation must speak in one voice and be guided with one only hand namely the Indian National Congress!