Ornamentalism matters

As the race to pick India’s 13th president gathers pace, various names are being thrown up; and we are faced with an embarrassment of riches, though not all the names add lustre to this high office. Equally, not all the previous incumbents embellished this gemstone in India’s constitutional edifice.

Many questions come up though; why is the 13th contest bandied about as the muddiest seen thus far? How important is this largely ornamental post? And is West Bengal finally going to fulfil its tryst with destiny, a quest that started from the nationalist leader Subhash Chandra Bose to Jyoti Basu, the state’s erstwhile chief minister?

The incumbent president Pratibha Patil, who is demitting office in July, is perhaps the worst tenant that Rashtrapati Bhavan (presidential palace) has had. The sprawling mansion sitting on Raisana Hill is imposing; the structure an emblem of India’s colonial legacy and Edwin Lutyen’s genius as an architect — notice the dome perched on top resembling a Buddhist stupa; a true symbol of the state. As a consequence, a motley set of lodgers have left this habitat with some residual shine on themselves. 

Patil, in her five years in office, is now at the centre of a storm for reportedly spending more than Rs2.2 billion (Dh150.55 million) of taxpayer money travelling to 22 countries in five continents. She may not have sparkled as president, but she tried. Patil assiduously promoted India abroad — with or without her relatives in tow. This writer has heard her speaking and came away impressed by her arguments, though she deftly deflected tough questions on her grandsons accompanying her on official trips.

One thing is very clear though: India’s president is no figurehead. There are many precedents of the person holding this so-called decorative post playing a crucial role in public life. From K. R. Narayanan to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam there are instances where the sitting president made a big difference. Narayanan, India’s first Dalit (low caste) president established a precedent by deviating from past practices and established a new standard that is now almost a given in an era of coalition governments.

Healthy precedent

Until Narayanan, it had been the practice of the president to always call the head of the party that secured the most seats in the parliamentary elections to form the government even if he/she did not command a simple majority. The prime-minister in waiting now needs to prove conclusively to the president that he/she commands not only the support of the party, but also that of the hastily cobbled together coalition partners before being invited to form the government. 

And with fragmented mandates being the order of the day, this practice has become the norm.

Or has it? If so why this mad scramble between the principal opposition the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress to get their candidate elected? It’s because the president has the right to make a subjective assessment of the supposed majority in a divided house and the timeframe to prove this is fuzzy. This provides ample scope for horse-trading. Hence this unseemly battle royale between the two main parties comes as no surprise.

And in this tussle, the leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj has inadvertently played into Congress hands by her unfortunate remark about the sitting vice–president. She compounded her error by declaring Kalam’s name prematurely. Advantage Congress, game over! No.

Despite the dark horse, the enigmatic Bengali — Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee — waiting in the wings with a substantial lead, the game is far from over. Pranab-da, as he is affectionately called, may yet falter. This man’s CV is awesome; he has held all the important jobs one can think of except the prime ministership. He is competent, well-liked and will lend considerable lustre to the presidency. Then where is the catch?

Funnily enough, Mukherjee has been compared to cricketer Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid and David Beckham, the Manchester United footballer, known for creating goal-scoring opportunities for others; a great team man, but also a loser of sorts when it comes to the big moments, missing out when destiny beckons. 

It is now part of scurrilous gossip that Mukherjee made the cardinal mistake of his life on that plane ride back from Kolkata when he accompanied Rajiv Gandhi after prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Rumour has it that he put himself forward for the top job and was consequently cast aside by the Nehru-Gandhi clan, condemned to be a pretender all his life.

Will this accursed curse revisit Pranab-da again? The Congress party may do what the Communist party did to Basu in the 1990s? Will Sonia do a Gandhiji on us? In the 1930s, Bose was outsmarted by the old man, will the Congress derail another Bengali’s elevation saying he cannot be spared from the cabinet?

It does, however, seem that West Bengal’s time has come; besides the old warhorse deserves this honour. Mukherjee will do India proud and add sheen to this august office. A happy union of ornamentalism and value!

Ravi Menon is a Dubai-based writer working on a series of essays on India and on a public service initiative called India Talks.