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The People's Verdict

Dr. Ravni Thakur

Resounding Victory for Congress and Sonia Gandhi

The people's verdict is in. The largest democracy in the world has shown its resilience and its freedom to choose its elected representative. We as Indians are justifiably proud of our Democracy and the fact that free and fair elections are successfully carried out in this vast country with a billion people. It has also proved, once again, that the Indian electorate is mature and able to vote out government that they think do not deliver. In this case, it was capable of sifting through the lies and hype on which the BJP's campaign was run. Its India Shining campaign with its shine worn-off and its virulent attacks against Smt. Sonia Gandhi became the very weapons that destroyed them. Instead of stooping to their level, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Congress Party chose to fight, not for or against personalities, but on principles. They chose to fight by going to the people directly not mediated by media hype or by pretentious slogans. The success of the Congress Party has also shown that principles and ideology still impact the voter's choice.

We fought this campaign on the basis of a coherent and principled ideological vision. But more than that, we fought the elections under the leadership of Smt Sonia Gandhi, who toured the length and breadth of the country taking the Congress's message to the people. The response to her tours did translate into votes and the credit for the Congress Party's victory lies largely with her. She fought an election with her back to the wall, with all kinds of aspersions cast against her, with exit polls constantly predicting her defeat. But the result has forced her critics to swallow their words, especially the stalwarts of the BJP who fell at the hustings. The result of these elections is more than a vote against the BJP. It is emphatically a vote for Smt. Sonia Gandhi as the new Prime Minister of the country. The results in Gujarat have shown how India is not in favour of sectarian politics fuelled by hate. It has also shown that the people do not buy the constant attacks against Smt. Sonia Gandhi, a particular Modi speciality. The total rout of the AIADMK, where again Jayalalitha did nothing but attack Smt. Sonia Gandhi, proves once and for all that the foreign origin label the BJP loves flogging is, and always was, a dead horse. Same thing happened in AP as well where Chandrababu Naidu has resorted to personalized attack on Soniaji and has to ultimately pay the price.

In contrast to the BJP's India Shining campaign, "Congress ka haath aam adami ke saath" is not just a slogan, it is also the underlying principle of the Congress Party and has been since its inception. We have always championed the interests of the common man. The major electoral victory of the Congress allies and the significant gains made by the Left proves that the common man has spoken out vocally against the pro-rich and urban-centric policies of the BJP. The blatant privatization of profit-making PSU's, the increasing unemployment and the total neglect of the agricultural sector were major factors that led to the downfall of the BJP-led alliance. The total sweep in Andhra proves that neglecting the interests of the large majority of farmers and the urban poor cannot be hidden behind the gloss of fly-overs and arrogant hype.

Ultimately, economic reform does not progress without equitable distribution. The Congress's manifesto and economic charter have stressed the importance of balancing the demands of a WTO regime and ensuring that those in real need of a policy based social security system do not suffer. It has also spoken out in favour of agricultural and rural development. The Congress in power will ensure that the promises of its charter are met. Like Smt. Gandhi has said, "India will only really shine if it shines for the poor." While the Party is not anti-reform, it is committed to reform with a human face. It is committed to the upliftment of the weaker sections rather than to the superficial shine of the thriving consumer market. While the Congress spearheaded economic reform in the country. It has not sought to privatize blindly nor has it neglected investments in health, education and infrastructure development.

Another major factor in the Congress's victory in this round has been its capacity to build a broad alliance against the BJP with like-minded and secular parties. Smt. Gandhi took the initiative to talk to leaders of all parties and was able to bring together smaller parties who represent India's diverse political hues. In the South, its alliance with the DMK after twenty-seven years paid us rich dividends. Similarly, in Bihar, despite the small number of seats we fought, our alliance with Laloo Yadav succeeded in defeating the NDA. Once again, in Andhra, we benefited by our alliance with TRS. Our overall understanding with the Left parties has also been successful, putting us in the position to form the government with the support of our allies. The fact that we have emerged as the largest single party in the country proves that Smt. Sonia Gandhi's leadership is effective and popular. Today, no other leader can claim the post of Prime Minister since the final choice which lies with the voters has voted for her.

Three most important lessons can be learnt from these elections. First, the people of India, the voters, do not fall for high-tech media management. The sheer branding of Atal Behari Vajpayee, almost as if he was a tooth-paste brand, actually detracted from his real stature. The India Shining campaign succeeded more in highlighting the large gap between the haves and the have-nots in India. It was, in other words, a campaign totally divorced from the reality of the hard and struggling lives of the poor and weaker sections of society. It was in fact a cruel joke at their expense. This is the second lesson that one learns. No party can hope to come to power in India unless it represents the interests of the large majority of the Indian masses. And these masses are liberal, secular and more concerned with the real issues of grassroot development. Thirdly, we need to accept and understand that votes on election day are won by good governance and the ability to live up to the promises made to the people. The elected member has to remain in touch with the people of their constituency and be constantly responsive to their needs. The fact that three out of five sitting MPs lost their seats is a clear indication of this fact. We need to understand that the voter is intelligent enough to see who works for them and those who merely pay lip-service to their jobs.

And finally, any word on the elections can only end by lauding the vibrancy and success of Indian Democracy. In the past fifty-two years, our electorate has repeatedly shown that it has a definite mind of its own and that it exercises this franchise with impunity, punishing those who take it for granted or deal with it arrogantly. The Congress party, once in power must guard against the arrogance of power and ensure that it delivers on the promises made otherwise the next time around the electorate may be equally cruel to us. Today while we thank the electorate for reposing confidence in our agenda, we must also ensure that we live up to this confidence by providing a good government which keeps the interests of the majority of our people at the Centre of any policy decision.

 

Let us Build Rajiv's India : Sonia Gandhi A few hours later Smt. Sonia Gandhi reconvened the CPP meeting and made the following statement on May 19. Friends, I spoke to you all yesterday. I knew you all would be upset. But I have been really overwhelmed by the manifestation of affection and support from all across the country. As I said in a statement earlier today, I am not going away. I intend to discharge my responsibility as a Member of Parliament, as the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party and above all as Congress President for as long as you all want me to. Let the world know that the Indian National Congress cherishes values and integrity above everything else. Having said this, I must emphasize the paramount importance of getting on as quickly as we can with the serious business of running government. You all have placed your trust in me. You have authorized me to name the new leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. I am happy to ask Dr. Manmohan Singh to take on this great responsibility, I have always admired his qualities of head and heart. I urge you all to give him your unstinted support. I am confident that we all together will work to build the 21st century India that was Rajivji's dream. Jai Hind.