‘Odd couple’ of Indian politics still strong two years on
By Penny MacRae
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi have defied sceptics who predicted two years ago that their political marriage was doomed to failure.
As their party marks its second anniversary in power this month, analysts say the “odd couple” of Indian politics are still going strong thanks largely to their clearly defined relationship.
Singh, the soft-spoken economist turned politician, “sees his role as administrator” while the enigmatic Italian-born Gandhi “is the real power behind the throne,” said Indian newspaper columnist Neerja Chowdhury.
“He’s there because of her and he’s very conscious of this,” Chowdhury said. “As prime minister, he has been very diffident. He does not want to offend.”
The pairing — dubbed the “odd couple” by India’s media — began when Congress led by Gandhi stormed to victory over the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Traditionally in Indian politics, the president of the ruling party is also prime minister. But Sonia Gandhi turned down the position, partly because of fears her Italian birth would explode into a divisive political issue.
Hindu nationalists had said her foreign origin made her unfit to rule India.
She handpicked Singh for the top job — the sacrifice earning her the sobriquet of “Saint Sonia.” And pundits predicted the relationship would be short-lived.
But, according to political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan, “the alliance is intact”.
Sonia Gandhi, a Catholic and the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, defers publicly to Singh, who was sworn in as the first premier from the country’s minority Sikh community on May 22, 2004.
And Singh, who has always been faithful to the Gandhi family — seen as the Indian equivalent of the Kennedy clan in the United States — is full of praise for her.
But the 73-year-old premier has been unable to assert his authority over his ministers, who often bypass him and head for Gandhi’s residence, seen as the real power centre, leaving him out of the loop, media reports said.
After a cabinet shuffle in February, a cartoon in leading news magazine India Today depicted Gandhi, 59, as a ventriloquist holding a puppet Singh.
However, analysts said Singh, known as the architect of India’s economic reforms when he was finance minister, still commands huge respect for his intellect and honest reputation — a prized commodity in Indian politics.
A recent newspaper poll said 62 per cent of Indians thought Singh an excellent or good premier while 29 per cent said he was average. Only nine per cent rated him as poor.
With economic growth at around eight per cent, public finances improving and inflation below four per cent, analysts said the outlook is looking solid.
But the road ahead looks tougher for the government than in its first two years, after the strong performance of the communists in key state elections last week.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance coalition relies on the support of the communists to stay in power.
“The elections have strengthened the role of the Left,” communist party leader Prakash Karat said after the polls, promising “increased intervention”.
Analysts predict a tough fight as the government seeks to push ahead with economic reforms such as opening up the retail, insurance and banking sectors to more foreign investment.
“The tempo and pace of change will get affected,” said Rangarajan. “I expect a tug-of-war.”
The government also remains keenly aware that it owes its come-from-behind general election victory to the tens of millions of Indians who felt left out of the country’s economic boom.
“That vote was against the BJP and its ‘India Shining’ campaign. If they (Congress) forget that, it’s politically dangerous,” said Rangarajan.
Analysts, though, said the disarray of the BJP, flailing for direction since it lost power, meant the government was in no immediate danger.
“At the moment, I wouldn’t rule out another term for the UPA, things are so bad with the opposition,” said national pollster Yogendra Yadav.—AFP
