Opinion Substance over form,please

Really? Gandhi expressed his opposition to an ordinance that offers relief to convicted legislators. In doing so,he supported what most people in this country feel. Why his party did not listen to his disquiet earlier is a good question — but it isn’t being asked. It is for the cabinet and the Congress core group,including the PM,to answer this question.

What if the PM were to resign? Then,he would be resigning over an issue that is strongly opposed by the public. He would not only be flouting the public’s will,he would be staking his post to protect convicted legislators. How absurd is that? The ordinance is pending before the president and can still be withdrawn. In this instance,every voice of opposition is welcome,including that of the BJP,which itself did a U-turn on it. The ordinance is now likely to be withdrawn,a net gain for the people of India.

The demand for the PM’s resignation boils down to one point — that Gandhi should not have voiced his opposition at a press conference while the PM was away. This is putting form above substance. An embarrassment for the prime minister’s office is minor compared to the greater good of letting the Supreme Court order stand. The SC order is only the first step in the massive political cleansing that lies ahead,whose first test will be the candidates fielded by the parties in the upcoming state elections.

Sadly,the substantial achievements of the PM’s visit to the US were overshadowed by calls for his resignation. With the economy and security at the top of the agenda,the PM and US President Barack Obama agreed on India-US cooperation in defence production and counter-terrorism,on boosting investment and capacity development for job creation,and on coordinating support for the Afghan National Security Forces. At the UN,Singh drew attention to the need for financial reforms and the Millennium Development Goals. And in his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,he concentrated on tackling cross-border terrorism,including curbing infiltration and maintaining the 2003 ceasefire,which has been repeatedly violated in the past few months.

Given the recent terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir,it is not surprising that the media’s focus was on the meeting with Sharif. What is surprising is that most of the media dismissed the meeting as inconsequential,and as having no outcome. This was not the case. From what National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said,the agenda included topics such as the recent cross-border terrorist attacks,prevention of infiltration,progress in the 26/11 Mumbai prosecutions and fast-tracking the long-overdue MFN status for India. The two countries’ director generals of military operations are to meet soon to discuss mechanisms to restore the ceasefire and,though Menon did not explicitly say so,

tackle infiltration.

The Pakistani team involved in the Mumbai prosecutions has just interviewed key witnesses in Mumbai. Moreover,the Pakistan government and the IMF have agreed that improving trade with India and granting it MFN status is one of the terms of a $6.5 billion loan. To say these steps are inconsequential is to ignore their import. Without our government’s careful groundwork,none of these outcomes would have ensued — just as the high-profile extraditions and arrests of wanted terrorists we have seen in the past year would not have happened.

Truth be told,an atmosphere of negativity had already been created by the BJP’s campaign against the government over the past several months,some of it deserved and some of it undeserved,as in this case. The opposition should hold the government to account,but not through innuendo,double standards and lies,and certainly not by paralysing Parliament. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate,Narendra Modi,accused Gandhi of humiliating the prime minister and undermining his office. This is a fundamentally undemocratic statement. Democrats across the world voice their opposition to their own government’s decisions when conscience demands: witness their opposition to Obama’s decision to launch limited air strikes in Syria,which forced him to retract. Did the US opposition and media call for his resignation?

And what of the BJP’s own actions to undermine the PM by repeatedly calling him weak — and worst of all,refusing to even give him a hearing in Parliament when he made his speech on the economy (a speech they had demanded)? It is time the media held the opposition to greater account. A landmark treaty with Bangladesh,which is fighting a historic battle against extremism,was not passed in the last Parliament session. Critical legislation to improve investor confidence was blocked,not for a session but for years. If the government has the primary responsibility for our current state of affairs,surely the opposition shares in it.

Ignore them,prime minister,and do not think of resigning. You have six months left to draw this country back from the brink of chaos,where it teeters. Corruption,runaway prices,the rupee,poor governance and infrastructure,the declining child sex ratio and the rise in crime need your full attention.