Opinion Choose a captain

The article,written by M.V. Kamath and occasioned by Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh’s statement that Gandhi was now fit to be PM,says that “it may be argued that the times proclaim the man,and the public does not have to get unduly panicky,” but adds that “even so,the nation cannot wait for fate to decide its future and it has become incumbent on the two leading parties,the Congress and the BJP,to name the leaders preferred to be their prime ministerial candidate,come 2014.”

Kamath adds: “It can be done without making a song and dance of it,and even behind the scenes,if that is a good alternative. But the message must reach the citizen that the future of the country and the strengthening of its administration and economic sinews is at the top of its agenda. Pre-planned is well planned.”

He says that future prime ministers will have to be a new breed,capable of understanding the needs of a younger generation,their concerns going beyond caste and class,and that “a wise party will take note of it,present a united front,keeping internal bickerings under total control and command the respect of voters as Nehru did.” He also talks about the paucity of “national” leaders despite the abundance of regional leaders. “Narendra Modi has done extraordinarily well in Gujarat — even his worst enemy cannot but admit to it — but where does he stand in the party?” he asks.

Trust the temple

The RSS believes nobody should be allowed to meddle with the wealth found at the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Ram Madhav,spokeperson for the RSS,writes in an Organiser article that it is safe only in the hands of the deity,and no one else — not even government-run trusts — should handle it.

It says that the royal family’s “enormous commitment” to the presiding deity must be acknowledged,in safeguarding the wealth despite the dip in their financial fortunes. Madhav writes that the ongoing litigation that led to the opening of the temple’s locked chambers appears to be “motivated” by “sinister designs”.

“This litigation has brought back into focus the critical issue of the control of Hindu temples by the political establishment. Temples and their entire wealth — whether lands or offerings or antiques — should belong to Hindu society only. There is a need to amend or discard the Hindu Endowment Act so that the religious places of Hindus become the property of society rather than the government,” he says.

Madhav argues that the Kerala chief minister had been sensible in declaring that his government has no interest in taking over the wealth or management of the temple. “Suggestions by sections of the media and intelligentsia,like creating a museum or trust are also too premature. What is needed is for the entire Hindu society,including saints and spiritual leaders,to vociferously oppose any move to take over the temple or its wealth. Let it be protected by the management as before,” he says.

NAC-do spirit

Panchjanya has an editorial on the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council,which,it says,exists as a parallel government. It says the NAC is a direct result of Sonia Gandhi’s ambition of remaining “super-prime minister” and that it has substantially weakened the prime minister’s office. “The office of the prime minister is the soul of Parliamentary democracy. It is its main pole. This has been proven by everyone from Nehru,Lal Bahadur Shashtri,Indira Gandhi,Morarji Desai,Rajiv Gandhi,to Vishwanath Pratap Singh,and Atal Bihari Vajpayee,all of whom led with the strength and respect at their command. But the way the prime minister is being treated today has not only damaged the integrity of the person sitting in that office,but completely undermined the importance,influence and respect of the institution,” the article says.

The NAC,it argues,has put a question mark on the supremacy of Parliament,and is working towards making both the legislative and executive branches of democracy its “rubber stamp”. It criticises the NAC-drafted Communal Violence bill,saying the people roped in to draft the legislation firmly believe in the theory that a Muslim or a Christian can never be a criminal and a Hindu can never be innocent.