[Assam] Mr PM, Fight Directly

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Mr PM, Fight Directly




Lok Sabha Election 2009

THE SENTINEL EDITORIAL 28.03.09

http://newsonnortheast.blogspot.com/

Can
he? Will he? These are questions that naturally arise when it comes to
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s membership of the Rajya Sabha, not
of the Lok Sabha, and his refusal — for reasons best known to the
Congress — to fight directly and enter the House of the People. In
other words, can Dr Singh fight a Lok Sabha election and win it too,
from any constituency of his choice? Or will he? Let us also ask Asom
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who is proud of having a man no less than
the Prime Minister himself to represent the State in the Rajya Sabha,
as to what stops him from requesting Dr Singh to contest from a
constituency most secure for the party in the State, given that Dr
Singh has been a Rajya Sabha member from Asom all these years and under
the assumption that he might have served the State in a way far better
than others in his capacity as the most powerful political executive of
the country for the last five years. We would like to hear Mr Gogoi as
to the constraints that the Prime Minister would face in Asom if he
were to seek a direct mandate from the electorate. We would also like
to hear the Congress enlighten us as to what really restrains the party
from asking its prime ministerial candidate to reach out to the people
directly, seek their votes and win the election by a handsome margin if
he can. Or is it that the Congress is well aware of the inability of Dr
Manmohan Singh to win a Lok Sabha election because he is not at all a
mass leader and because the party cannot afford such huge embarrassment
and humiliation if he is defeated in a direct election? We do not know,
but it is the moral duty of the Congress — if of course it has a sense
of political morality — to tell the people the reason why it wants such
an easy Rajya Sabha life, without the sweat and toil that a Lok Sabha
election entails, for its prime ministerial candidate.

This is
not all. As BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani has challenged,
Dr Manmohan Singh should also have the guts to face the BJP leader in a
live TV debate and prove his and the Congress’ point right before the
people of the country. We welcome Mr Advani’s proposal. If the BJP
leader and its prime ministerial candidate has no hesitation to be part
of such a debate, there is no reason why the Congress’ prime
ministerial candidate should dither. In fact right when Mr Advani threw
the challenge, the same day Dr Singh should have hit back saying he is
not only prepared to face him and the BJP’s argument, but also
confident of winning the debate. That was expected of the Prime
Minister on Thursday when Mr Advani openly challenged him. In fact it
is the incumbent leader who should have dared his opponent to defeat
him in a live TV debate by raising questions on his incumbency and by
arguing as to why he should not be given a second chance to rule the
country. Perhaps the Prime Minister is well introduced to his
weaknesses. But will his party admit? Or how about projecting its own
president, the much-cherished Sonia Gandhi, as a master debater to
confront Mr Advani? Let the Congress answer — for its own sake. THE SENTINEL

http://newsonnortheast.blogspot.com/