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Journalism of Courage
Tariq Anwar8217;s repeated assertions that Sonia Gandhi can deliver results if she leads from the front shows that the collective Congress mind has suffered terminal calcification. He has said this is possible because quot;India is a very emotional nationquot;. In other words, he has stopped short of calling the electorate a mass of idiots 8212; only just. Fortunately, the voter is a little smarter than the more visible faces of the Congress. Given the Mamata debacle, the electorate is quite aware that Sonia is not about to deliver anything of substance. It was told that Madam had stayed up far beyond bedtime 8212; a daring breach of protocol 8212; to meet Mamata Banerjee. It was assured that Madam had offered a solution of such compelling merit that Mamata could not refuse. And then, the very next day, it learned of Mamata8217;s expulsion from the party for arrant obduracy. The very first time that Madam succumbs to popular demand and actually intervenes in party affairs, her diktat is flouted inside of twenty-four hours.
Sonia Gandhi is probably smart enough not to repeat the mistake. Until the Mamata incident, she had maintained her brand equity by staying well clear of the marketplace. She encouraged ritual genuflections at 10, Janpath, but her impassivity in the face of adoration was also part of the ritual, investing it with an importance it did not intrinsically possess. She understood that she was in the business of making magic, that she had illusions on offer, not miracles. The trouble is that her votaries are now desperate enough to believe in miracles. The Sonia factor is what hitech industry calls quot;vapourwarequot; 8212; highly imaginative advertising claims on the packaging that do not translate into actual performance. If she actually takes the field to lead the Congress out of tribulation there will be no miracle, just a very tacky conjurer8217;s trick 8212; and all the props will be showing. The mystery will be gone and partymen will be faced with the messy job of picking up the pieces of the Sonia factor.
