Of shernis and langurs: Sonia is no Indira Gandhi; 2015 is not 1978, why doesn’t Congress get it?

Chikmaglur was quite a tongue-twister for the Hindi-speaking people of North India in the post-Emergency period. Yet the name got stuck in the memory of people of Uttar Pradesh. This is not because its pronunciation was so complex but because it became the central theme of an innovative political rhyme that rang across the Gangetic plane. Coined by the Congress, it went like this: “Ek sherni sau langur,chikmaglur bhai chikmaglur (one lioness and hundreds monkeys, this is how is Chikmaglur)”.

Chikmaglur was a turning point in Indira Gandhi’s life in every sense of the expression. Having lost the election from Rae Bareli in 1977, a lot was at stake for her in the by-election in this non-descript constituency in Karnataka. She had to regain her political relevance not only in India but also in the international arena. She was to visit London after the elections and her presence there as Leader of Opposition would be a statement of political status.

Her choice of constituency was not by accident. Indira had acquired a deep sense of political history and learnt the art of politics from the seminary which was the fountainhead of the freedom struggle. While it was motivated by her desire to express solidarity with South India which stood her in good stead in the post-Emergency general election, it was also calculated to serve another political purpose. Her moving away to South touched an emotional chord in the Hindi heartland which used to be her family’s bastion. This is the precise reason why the mixed metaphor of ‘sherni and langur (lioness and monkeys)’ caught on in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it. But those who take wrong lessons from history are condemned to end up as clowns. Sonia Gandhi, who wants to do an Indira after the Delhi High Court sought her and her son Rahul Gandhi’s presence in court in the National Herald case, appear headed for the second.

Those who know the events unfolding following the ascension of the Janata Party regime would understand that within six months of taking over the reins in Delhi, the Morarji Desai government was caught in serious factionalism, with several factions working at cross-purposes.

Chaudhary Charan Singh was running down Morarji Desai and Jagjivan Ram while the socialist block of the Janata Party led by Madhu Limaye and Raj Narayan was in war against the leaders of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS). Charan Singh was accused of foolishly pursuing cases against Indira Gandhi though the Shah Commission was still probing the Emergency excesses.

While this was the state of the government, Indira had ample opportunity to play the wronged card. There was evidence to substantiate her claim that she was a victim of political vendetta. That she was expelled from Lok Sabha by a majoritarian voice against the advice of many only reinforced her case.

Within less than six months, people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had started longing for Indira who single-handedly co-opted various social groups and political leaders to resurrect her politics. All excesses of Emergency were soon forgotten and she became the symbol of “persecution” at the hand of a vengeful regime. She was jailed for six days, during which she reached out to her tormentor Chaudhary Charan Singh and enticed him to topple the Morarji government. Within less than two years, she was back in power.

This brief history bears significance in view of the comparison being frequently drawn between Sonia Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. Sonia wants to do an Indira and resurrect her political fortune. But the question here is, how?

The Congress has abjectly surrendered all its political space not only in North India but also in South India. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which used to be Congress citadels during Indira Gandhi’s time, the party is reduced to a fringe player.

Unlike the faction-ridden Morarji Deasi government, the Modi government has a decisive mandate in favour and the prime minister is in full control. The last but not the least, there is hardly any chance for either Sonia or Rahul to repeat the history of Chikmaglur where innovative slogans of ‘sherni and langur’ can be coined.

The Gandhis surely are taking the wrong lessons from history.