licensedpirate’s blog

When Mrs. Jaya Bachchan was removed from the Rajya Sabha little did anyone realize that a huge hornet’s nest was being stirred that would affect everyone on both sides of the divide. Ms. Uma Bharati has very aptly said that “in India, all posts are offices of profit”. That probably being the reality, should we have more relaxed rules pertaining to offices of profit or go the purist’s way and get almost the entire legislature disqualified?
With copycat resignations having begun the Election Commission and Rashtrapati Bhavan will be hard-pressed to cope. These are offices that should be kept at a distance from the dirty world of daily politics. The time has come for the legislature to heal itself by clearly defining an office of profit or doing away with the provision totally.

The resignation of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi from the Rajya Sabha to undercut attempts by the opposition to make political capital was a masterstroke. That it came so swiftly and without any apparent reluctance on her part took the wind out of the jaded opposition.
The question now is whether there was any move by the government to push a bill through Parliament in the first place to ’save’ Mrs. Gandhi. To some, the motives to her move is akin to the saying ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. Has she resigned just to avoid an embarrassing scenario or does she truly believe that she is not in politics for personal gain and therefore resignation is of no consequence?
Which leads us back to the question; Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, martyr or master tactician. OR BOTH?