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As India braces itself for its 12th president, the whole country, and the rest of the world, is witnessing a drama that is as bizarre and thrilling as any Hindi movie. The most respected designation in the country had never had it worse. With all the political parties playing the game of upmanship, the ethics and morals for the position as well as the poll are long forgotten. The worst of all was perhaps the newly formed third front, which even tried to utilize the present president in its political game.
The first major move came from UPA. While all the political experts were sure that Shivraj Patil would be its presidential candidate, UPA named Pratibha Patil—a name that left more than half of the nation asking Pratibha Patil who? Apart from being the governor of Rajasthan, she has never been an active player in national politics. Whatever the logic behind her nomination might be, the move did upset BJP-led NDA’s plans as they were backing vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, and all there plans were formed with Shivraj Patil in mind. It’s also true that the other factions of NDA are not happy with BJP’s choice of a sangh loyalist Shekhawat, though they are trying hard to portray him as a secular.
The initial politics involving Kalam by the third front has now subsided, as Kalam refused to be drawn into the dirty game. Now all eyes are fixed on a battle between Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Pratibha Patil.
The NDA, led by BJP, has started a serious anti-Patil campaign by digging up the past. Accusations of defaulting bank loans, shielding criminal kin, doling out favours to relatives, and the likes are now being levelled against her. The Congress is now gearing up for an equally vicious and dirty battle by not only gathering proof to refute the allegations against Patil, but also digging up the past of the opposition candidate Shekhawat.
Congress also tried to gain support of the newly formed third front UNPA for its candidate, but nothing is forthcoming. However, with the BSP and the Left supporting the UPA candidate, Patil seems to be in safe territory. But she isn’t making things even a bit easier for her backers by the comments she has made of late—once on the purdah and then of her conversation with some spirit.
In a recent statement, Ms Patil has refuted all the allegations made against her, and termed them “false, malicious, and baseless”.
But all her publicity hasn’t been negative. A recent report in a leading daily mentioned about her simple lifestyle even as she was the governor of Rajasthan. For the time being, at least this one report will salvage her a bit from the opposition salvo.
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