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Sonia declines to become Prime Minister- Smart or stupid decision !
USA, May 18, 2004: "It is my inner
voice, my conscience," Sonia said. "My responsibility at this
critical time is to provide India Very small percent of politicians you will find in the world who can leave this kind of opportunity, ignore this post, or ever we think this kind of sacrifice as she did. As an independent observer on behalf of the NRIs, we conclude that she, her son, and daughter are very smart, honest, loyal, thinking good for the country, and as well as future for their party. This is unbelievable and strong decision done by her family. She has won the heart of common people and majority of the NRIs, who always think about the infrastructure of the India Sonia Gandhi said she would "humbly decline"
to be the next prime minister of India, a decision that followed Hindu
nationalist outrage over the prospect of a foreign-born woman at the helm
of the nation. Rahul her son and daughter Priyana said, `We have lost
our father, and grand mother, we don't want to lose our mother as well,"
"The post of prime has not been my aim," Gandhi said . "I was always certain that if ever I found myself in the position I am in today I would follow my inner voice. I humbly decline the post." Members of Congress lawmakers shouted and pleaded with her to change her mind, and she had to stop several times to get the audience to quiet down. "I request you to accept my decision," she said, adding that she would not reconsider. She told her MPs she had decided to listen to her "inner voice". "I must abide by the principles that have guided me all along. I appeal to you to understand the force of my conviction. "There is no threat to me from anywhere. I want to give India a secular government that is strong and stable." Angry and upset Congress MPs told her millions of voters had given her a mandate to govern and urged her to ignore attacks over her foreign birth. One tearful MP, Renuka Choudhury, told Mrs Gandhi it was the party's request "that you continue to lead us, because it is the need of the hour". "Not just for women, not just for children, but as a human being who has upheld the finest tradition of what it means to be an Indian." The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of outgoing Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee have demonstrated against the possibility of a foreign-born prime minister. They had pledged to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of Gandhi if she were named leader. "Becoming the prime minister of India with foreign background will put national security and the country's self-respect in jeopardy," said Uma Bharti, a former sports ministerof Vajpayee's government. Investors: Investors and NRIs feared that if she became prime minister, Gandhi would have to backtrack on her pledge to go forward with economic liberalization, or that the leftists could block key reforms such as the privatization of state-run companies. On Monday, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Sensex, had its biggest drop in its 129-year history and rose again Tuesday. Who will the prime Minister? Sonia Gandhi did not say who she would nominate for the post, but the favorite appeared to be Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic liberalization program during the last Congress-led government from 1991 to 1996. Jyoti Basu, a senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader and Congress party ally, Gandhi's children did not want her to take the post. . The Congress party and its allies did not win an outright majority in Parliament, but communist parties — with 62 seats in the 545-member parliament — said they would support her bid to become prime minister but not join her government. Sonia Gandhi needs the leftist parties because even with the announced backing Monday of the socialist Samajwadi Party, the Congress would have only 257 seats, short of the 272 it needs for a majority in the lower house of Parliament. Send your Opinion: opinion@nriinternet.com |
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