My opinions on… (Part I)

Pratibha Patil becoming the President

A women becoming the first citizen of the country was long overdue and the fact that it came 60 years after independence kinda makes it a little too late. However, I do feel India deserved a better ‘First Woman President.’

Sonia Gandhi has once again showed how shrewd a politician she can be! Two instances come to mind! One, when she appointed Manmohan Singh, a man with impeccable character, ahead of her as the Prime Minister! Two, when she resigned as the MP and contested to win by a huge margin again, after she was accused of holding an office of profit! And now, when the Left was clearly against any of the earlier names doing rounds (Arjun Singh, Karan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Sushil Kumar Shinde etc), she came out with a real googly, stumping the opposition and garnering the support of the Left and other allies by bringing out with a woman candidate, who till that point of time, was never even heard of by commoners like me!

The then-incumbent President Abdul Kalam deserved another go, despite accusations that he was soft on certain issues. He was rightly called the “People’s President”! Truly, no other president was as accessible or as friendly as Kalam! And this statement is not just from what was seen from news clips. But from a personal experience of a close friend!

Never did India have any Presidential-nominee with a tarnished image! Not until Patil came into the fray. Pratibha Patil may not have anything to do with the controversies, but the fact is that these establishments in question were in her name and it’s a touch difficult to believe that she didn’t know much about it! And even if she genuinely did not, then she should have! But the blame-game is over and done with. Just turned out to be another point for opposition to lurk on! Unfortunately for them though, it didn’t bring any fruitful returns as Patil had it easy, with even some of the opposition’s ‘very own’ disowning Shekawat.

So, does a woman President mean better times for the fairer sex in India? I doubt! But, it’s way too early to comment on that as the President usually turns out to be a rubber stamp of the government! And the way this presidential election was politicized, chances are even higher that we might just see another of Government’s rubber stamps at Prakash Vir Shastri Avenue (formerly, North Avenue). But, let’s give Patil a fair chance! She’s got about 60 months! I hope she proves me wrong and I will be surprised, pleasantly so, if indeed she does!

PS: Don't get me wrong. If given an authority to vote during Presidential elections, I would have picked Pratibha Patil! But no points for guessing who I'd have voted for if Kalam was also contesting!