Telegraph Bureau
The Telegraph
May 14, 1999
Title: Curtain goes up on Bahu Vs Bahu Author: Telegraph Bureau Publication: The Telegraph Date: May 14, 1999 New Delhi, May 13 The battle between Gandhi family Bahu I and Bahu II has begun. The first to fire the shot is the junior bahu, Maneka Gandhi, who the BJP is trying to pit against Sonia Gandhi. In an interview to Panchjanya, a pro-BJP weekly, Maneka has said the Prime Minister's post is like a "toy" to Sonia, just another way of enriching her "luxurious lifestyle". The fusillade from the outcast Gandhi family member reinforces recent speculation that the BJP, her ally, will use her to combat Sonia and the Congress in what has all the makings of being one of the most bitterly fought elections ever. Entering politics the same way as Sonia, by virtue of marrying into the family, Maneka, in her interview, denigrated the right to lead and rule by inheritance. She accused Sonia of acting as an "agent" of the Nehru-Gandhi family, saying: "She only cashes in on the name of the family. She has the misconception that we (the Gandhi family) have been born to rule." Minister of state for social justice and empowerment in the caretaker Vajpayee government, Maneka fell out with the family not too long after Sanjay Gandhi's death, leaving the dynastic mantle to be carried by the other branch - first Rajiv and now Sonia. Maneka said: "The office of the Prime Minister for her is like a toy, a doll. She is not aware that difficult responsibilities go with this job." Maneka's salvo adds a third prong to the strategy the BJP is using against Sonia, the other two being that she is a foreigner and that she unjustifiably pulled down the government. In the BJP's eyes, Maneka versus Sonia also represents swadeshi bahu against videshi bahu, apart from telling the people that it, too, has a Gandhi family member on its side. For the record, the Congress is not even acknowledging the existence of Maneka, let alone consider countering the strategy being adopted by the BJP. Describing herself as an "old-style Gandhi" who does not believe the family has a hereditary right, Maneka put Sonia's entry into politics down to "lust for power". "As long as there is no opportunity, people remain behind the screen but at the first opportunity they take a leap," she said, citing the instance of Rajiv Gandhi. Maneka described the Congress as an empty bottle with a beautiful cap. "It needs a 'hero', an 'image' to go to the people. Hence, Congressmen keep going back to the Nehru-Gandhi family," she said. The first act of this soap opera has begun. [ 'Dynasty', episode II, should not be too far off.
This archive was generated by (modified version of) hypermail.pl 1.00