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Sycophancy – Congress style

I read with great interest Kuldip Nayar’s article, “Drama of sycophancy” (Perspective, April 20). He has rightly said that, “The problem with the Congress is that its search for the youth begins and ends with the dynasty”. He further concludes that Mrs Sonia Gandhi is not bothered about what falls in the ethical field.

It is cleverness par excellence. They have manipulated dynastic rule through the power of ballot. It is simple betrayal of democracy. An ordinary girl playing in the streets of a town of Italy who does not know the language, culture or history of India has become the world’s most powerful woman world today.

Ms Uma Bharti once rightly said that between Rabri Devi and Sonia Gandhi, the first one is the better choice. If the Rabris and the Sonias are to rule, God save the country. If Rahul Gandhi does not marry, who will be the next ruler after him?

Even the BJP is no good. They are projecting an 80-year-old person for the future prime ministership. They are all politicians. Where are statesmen?

BHARAT KUMAR GUPTA, Kandaghat (Solan)

II

Kuldip Nayar’s article was timely and intellectually stimulating. Edmund Burke said: “Flattery corrupts both the giver and the receiver”. But an Urdu bard opines: Khushaamad barey kaam kee cheez hai/ Zamaaney mein aaram kee cheez hai. Employing flattery is not a difficult job. Just become oily-tongued and gratify the vanity of those at the helm of affairs to ingratiate yourself with them. Heeng lagey na phatkari rang chokha aaey (No pain, yet immense gain).

Many Congress leaders made fawning obeisance to Indira Gandhi.

The then AICC president D. K. Barooah blurted out “Indira is India and India is Indira”. This ludicrous hyperbole earned him the sobriquet of her darbaari mashkara (court jester).

At a rally at Jind, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda described Sonia Gandhi as a holy stream of the Ganga in the polluted politics.

Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh is a sycophant of the Gandhi family as Birbal was that of Akbar. Therefore, his suggestion to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister has not surprised me. What is most astonishing is that leaders like Sharad Pawar, M. Karunanidhi, Pranab Mukherjee and Digvijay Singh have also jumped on to the bandwagon for Sonia Gandhi’s attention!

BHAGWAN SINGH, Qadian

III

The writer rightly says that the legacy of sycophancy and coterie still dominates the Congress. “In Panditji’s mind is his daughter”, said Lal Bahadur Shastri to the writer who was his Press Secretary.

But the question today is: Can Rahul Gandhi become Indira Gandhi in the light of his failure to lead the Congress to victory in the recent Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections?

Though not elected directly by the voters, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the tallest among the Congress leaders in honesty, education and statesmanship.

PRAN SALHOTRA, Gurdaspur

IV

The article reminds me of Emerson’s words: “Society is a masked ball where every one hides his real character and reveals it by hiding”. The group of sycophants of the Congress is clearly seen even while these members speak to the media.

Not to lag behind, Doordarshan follows suit by obediently covering Rahul Gandhi’s tours in the country. The aging Arjun Singh has left nothing for himself than singing the songs of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Like an ambitious and power-hungry person, he has been trying for the post of the Prime Minister.

Projecting someone to humiliate the humble and honest Dr Manmohan Singh who is dutifully running the UPA government in the past four years is unfair and unjust. Mr Arjun Singh would do well to resign.

Sycophancy is not a new evil. Even during the British rule, such sycophants were bestowed the title of Sardar Bahadur, Rai Bahadur, Khan Sahib, Khan Bahadur and so on.n

MULTAN SINGH PARIHAR, Jalari (Hamirpur)

Improving higher education in Haryana Rajbir Parashar’s article, “Crisis of governance: Streamlining Haryana’s higher education” (Sunday Oped, April 27) is timely. The problems facing higher education in a developing state like Haryana are manifold. The reason is that the university regulatory bodies such as the Syndicate and the Executive Council are not up to the mark. Unfortunately, these apex bodies have completely failed to enforce the statutory university rules in the affiliated colleges in the matter of appointments and other service conditions of teachers. The apathetic bureaucracy, mainly officials of the Higher Education Commissioner are a menace and a big hurdle. The politically appointed Vice-Chancellors lack vision and moral courage to take strong lawful decisions to streamline the administration of the university and its affiliated colleges. The indifferent teaching community is an odd cog in the total machinery of higher education. However, the ideals of academic freedom and autonomy of universities are an acknowledgement of the fact that in matters of scholarship, scholars know the best and in matters of learning, the learned know the best. More than any other profession in a civilised society, the teacher’s profession is one that can be developed and improved only through a process of self-regulation. Men in authority who fancy that they have infallible ways of measuring academic competence and those in the teaching profession who behave as though they are a law unto themselves, have one thing in common, namely, ignorance of what education is about. But currently they seem to have inherited the earth. A university grows through new ideas and interaction among members of the academic community, unhampered by the likings of the hierarchy. No true academic community can be undemocratic. ANIL BHATIYA, Dept of English, D.N. College, Hisar