Sunday, October 5, 2003		Ulta-pulta

GIVING in your resignation is an important political tool. A resignation letter given at the proper time may elevate your position; resigning at an ill-timed moment may just wipe you out from the political scene altogether. Before entering today's politics, one must learn the art of writing resignation letters. Recently I approached a leading publishing house with the idea of compiling a book on Great Resigning Letters by Great Politicians. The publisher immediately showed me the door but I am sure one day he will realise his folly.

Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi tendered his resignation after the Rae Bareilli court decided to frame charges against him. Only time will tell whether he emerges as a winner or loser. At the moment he is himself not sure whether he will gain or lose in the coming elections if it is proved that he had a hand in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

A politician should never resign on moral grounds. He should always resign either to lodge a protest with the high command or to regain his popularity if the elections are near. Sometimes it is wise to resign before the authorities expel you.

If any leader has any doubts as to whether he should resign or not, I suggest he should not take any action in haste. Instead he should take advice from great leaders like Mamta Bannerjee, George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar who have the vast experience of resigning and regaining their positions later on.

The golden rule is to always take your high command in confidence before resigning. One such leader, looking very sad, was sitting with his hand on his forehead. His colleague asked him, "What happened?" He said, "I've been so unlucky! I gave in my resignation to the P.M. and he actually accepted it!"