Editor;
It has been a most interesting week for Indian politics and especially for
the Indians themselves. From what seemed to have become a sticky situation
bordering on what could have become tragic, Sonia Gandhi waved her magic
wand and calmed the masses.
Little do the people of Indian and the world realise that
these turn of events and twisting of plots have a deep and profound meaning
to the population of India.
Lets turn the clock back a few decades.
The partition after independence in 1947 divided a great
nation into three segments, namely India, West and East Pakistan. One of the
most painful divisions was when the British Raj drew a line through the
mighty and fertile state of Punjab, effectively dividing not only the land
but also its people, the Punjabis. Deeper studies into that part of Indian
history would show that the Punjabis were convinced to opt to be with India
rather than with Pakistan.
Now let’s take a leap forward into the late seventies
and early eighties, when a movement headed by a radical Sikh by the name of
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had gathered enough followers to declare a war of
independence to create a new Punjabi statehood to be called ‘Khalistan.’
Of course the Republic of India was having none of that and thus began years
of internal strife between the rebels and the government.
This culminated in the infamous “Operation Blue Star’
in June 1984 when Indian troops in their tanks and armed vehicles crashed
into the most holy Sikh place of worship called the Golden Temple in
Amritsar, to crush Bhindranwale’s secessionist rebels. Thousands of men,
women and children perished along with the rebels, including their leader.
Hundreds of government troops were also amongst the dead. The Sikhs felt the
spear of hatred pierce deep into their hearts and silently vowed reprisals.
And that they did. Sikh bodyguards assassinated Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi, in the grounds of her official residence on October 31, 1984.
An eye for an eye, as the saying goes ... the Hindus went
on a rampage in New Delhi and in other cities in India. In those horrendous
weeks, thousands of Sikh men, woman and children were killed.
Where would all this end? There remains an uneasy peace
since then, but I believe that though the pain has subsided, the wounds have
never really healed.
Rajiv Gandhi took over from his mother immediately and
remained prime minister until his resignation on December 2, 1989, following
an election defeat. On his comeback trail Rajiv Gandhi’s election campaign
took him to Tamil Nadu in the south of India, where he was tragically killed
by a suicide bomber on May 21, 1991.
Up until then Sonia was happy to be just the supportive
wife and loving mother of their two children. But following the death of her
husband, she was literally forced to enter politics, as the Congress party
needed someone from the Jawaharlal Nehru/Indira Gandhi family line to carry
the party torch. It was a matter of survival for them. Sonia Gandhi resisted
for many years, but when she finally relented and officially entered
politics, she took the helm of the political party and almost single
handedly revitalized the party and made it strong again.
Of course during this whole period, her adversaries
thrived on throwing insults at her, using every derogatory term they could
find to belittle her for being foreign born. But Sonia stood steadfast and
through her strong will and superb leadership caused one of the biggest
election upsets in India’s history.
But that was not cause for rejoicing immediately as the
attacks against her foreign origins grew even stronger. The people of India
were divided again. There was cause for alarm as threat of civil strife was
imminent and many people were sure to lose their lives.
This is when Sonia waved her magic wand. With a stroke of
ingenuity, she stepped back and recommended Manmohan Singh, one of the most
respected persons in Indian politics to step forward in her stead and assume
the responsibilities of the prime minister of the largest democracy in the
world. The beauty of the situation is that Manmohan Singh is a Sikh.
Here we have an Italian born Indian national, who garners
almost 60 years of intricate Indian history and existence, with all the love
and the hatred, strife and peace, religious and ideological clashes and
weaves them into a tapestry of calm, understanding and tolerance.
Picture this: Hindus mistrust Sikhs and Muslims, Sikhs
mistrust Hindus and Muslims, Muslims mistrust Hindus and Sikhs, Sikhs want
to break away, Hindus kill Sikhs, Hindus kill Muslims, Muslims kill Hindus,
Sikhs kill Hindus, Hindus kill more Sikhs, Hindu kills Hindu ... but then,
along comes this lady Sonia, grand daughter-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru,
daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi, who steps forward,
holds out her arms and pleads for forbearance and harmony. She then takes a
Sikh by the hand and bestows upon him the highest office in the land.
I believe Sonia has performed her duties as daughter,
wife, mother and politician above and beyond the call of duty. Through her
dedication and sacrifice, not to mention her political acumen, she has
managed to balance the books for the Nehrus, Gandhis, Bhindranwales, Singhs,
Kumars, Alis and more so for every Indian in the world.
Now, let there be peace! Every Indian should dedicate
themselves to the service and betterment of the lives of every man, woman
and child of their motherland.
A foreign born Indian
