”We are not apologetic about her choice. Not only the UPA but the entire country is united about her. We have made the right choice. She is deserving of the high office”. That was Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, speaking to a group of women journalists at his residence. defending Pratibha Patil’s nomination for President
Offstumped’s response to Dr. Manmohan Singh follows below.
We are not surprised Mr. Prime Minister that you are not apologetic, for not being apologetic has been the hallmark of your administration.
Allow me to refresh your memory if I may Mr. Prime Minister.
On July 11th 2006 more than 200 Mumbaikars fell prey to the most heinous terrorist attack on Indian soil in over a decade but you were not apologetic on your choice of response.
On July 12th you said India must “win its war on terror”, but then you were not apologetic on the about face you made 2 months later on Sept 23 2006 when you informed the left parties that “war was not an option”.
On July 14th you said it “cannot be business as usual” but then you were not apologetic when your government and its lackdaisical home minister went about business as usual to see terrorist attacks in Malegaon, Hyderabad and in the Samjhauta Express.
On July 14th also you said “we must must act on a credible strategy” but then you were not apologetic when on August 15th 2006 you neither exuded credibility nor announced a strategy to act but instead pleaded helplessness with Pakistan.
Mr. Prime Minister you then went on to attend the G-8 summit where you called for “Zero Tolerance” to terrorism, but then you were not aplogetic when on your way to Havana you diluted your tolerance to terrorism with qualifiers like Pakistan too is a victim of terrorism.
With 12 months having gone by and not a single individual brought to justice or held accountable for the 7-11 Mumbai Train serial bomb blasts Mr. Prime Minister you continue to be unapologetic for your Executive Delinquency.
But then why should it be surprising. We always knew you were teflon skinned little surprise your conscience is of a synthetic fabric too.
You take issue with the leader of the opposition BJP, Mr. L.K. Advani’s remarks that you were handpicked, well you had the opportunity to go to the people and seek their direct mandate but you chose not do so by taking the electile dysfunctional Rajya Sabha route again.
It is no wonder you are not apologetic to the people of India because you never had to seek their mandate or be responsible or accountable to them.
Come July 11th with what face do you plan to address the victims and the next of kin of 7-11.
Well we know the answer to that one – it would be an unapologetic one.
Offstumped Bottomline: You may not be apologetic for your pusillanimity and inaction but we will not. It is our solemn commitment to the victims of 7–11 that we will not forget their loss and we will not forgive the unapologetic politicians who did not deliver justice to their loved ones.
Filed under: Pratibha Patil, Uncategorized
I dont know about the Congress but I can surely tell that BJP is gonna pay if it doesnt stop throwing muck of Mrs. Patil especially after the SC threw out the PIL against her.
Remember in 2004 leading up to the general elections many in BJP – the modern day Nero, late Mr. Mahajan, etc – used to call Mrs. Sonia Gandhi vulgar names and look what happened to BJP then. Just one year before the modern day Nero swept Gujarat for BJP and lost nearly half the seats to Congress in 2004 GE.
Indians never like anyone who viciously target women.
India deserves better than both the Congress and the BJP. Both parties are opening up political space for another national challenger – or at least serious regional ones. If they don’t keep their ear to the ground, they risk irrelevance. So indulge Manmohan his Pratibha idiocy, just as we indulged Vajpayee his Lahore folly and Advani his Jinnah silliness. Their clocks are ticking …
RS:
“I dont know about the Congress but I can surely tell that BJP is gonna pay if it doesnt stop throwing muck of Mrs. Patil ”
I think the BJP has realised it has nothing to lose. Mrs. Patil would in any case be biased in favour of the Congress. And the overwhelming response among the people who were FOR Dr. Kalam and as a result, against Mrs. Patil, would bail them out.
“Indians never like anyone who viciously target women.”
Are you serious?
We people of India waste our precious time in reading and writing… Though in positive sense. All of us write our views to seek public support and to reach out to masses.
But at the end our efforts are same as the story of “The Cat and The Mice”. WE DISCUSS HOW TO BELL THE CAT? Suddenly the cat appears with signaling “MEOW” and the mice flee away to save their lives…
Readers may not take my above comments in good taste but this is true and a hard fact.
JUST THINK OVER IT…
WHO POLITICIAN CARES WHATEVER WE MICE ARE WRITING AND READING?
WHICH MEDIA CARES SERIOUSLY?
WHY THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA AND ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA ARE MUTE SPECTATORS TO THE MURKY WAR OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2007?
BEWARE… THE CAT IS COMING!
SO ITS TIME TO ROAR LIKE TIGERS…
ITS TIME TO ACT…
JUST ONE UNITED EFFORT…
AND PEOPLE OF INDIA CAN REDEFINE DEMOCRACY…
Please sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mdi0603/petition.html
Visit http://dreamsindia.com
Watch for July 16th… I am going to act alone whether joins me or not…
Jai Hind!
RS, that is the whole point of this blog. To expose the bizarre perceptions of the media. One myth was that Sonia Gandhi had some sort of moral halo for not accepting the PM’s post. About as bizarre as their pre-election NDA-Shining-Clean Sweep campaign and the subsequent UPA-Aam Aadmi garbage. They change their tune at whim. One thing I’ve noticed in the media during this election is an almost complete negative reaction to Pratibha Patil’s nomination. There just has been nothing to defend her with…and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. I was quite surprised to see it take such an independent stand, when the expectation was it would write 5,000 editorials praising the UPA’s “feminist” credentials and such drivel. Unfortunately, it still fails to make an effort to actively campaign for more womens’ representation in politics. The proportion of women MP’s, MLA’s, et al is so dismal, not to mention the proportion that might be given a ministerial berth (usually only like womens’ welfare or maybe health, always a light portfolio). Having a handful of parties led by women does not undermine that truth, but the media likes to play it up anyhow.
Ravindra,
I reiterate my stand that viciously targeting women isn’t a politically wise thing to do. Before Sonia Gandhi they targeted her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and we all know what the India did to them. By 2009 people will forget President Kalam and there is no guarantee that his image will bail them out in 2009.
Yes, I am serious on Indians not liking people who target women viciously. I am actually surprised that you asked me this. Anyway, let me explain. In the run up to the 2004 general elections as the vicious campaign against Sonia Gandhi reached it zenith, I personally knew many elders who were critical of BJP’s tactics. They were of the opinion that if BJP continued this and as Sonia didn’t hit back in the same way, she will get a lot of votes out of sympathy coz Indians are an emotional people. I think they were right and this was one of the reasons why BJP lost in 2004.
The Congress did start a counter smear campaign against the VP but quickly pulled back. This I think is clever politics.
Janpar Mallai,
I don’t make any assumptions out of media reports. I wrote about pre-2004 general elections and not about post-2004 GE situation.
I came across your blog site because I could be one of the victims. Thanks for maintaining a dignified stand and raising this issue. What should we do? As individual, as well as collectively?
Mobilize shakhas ?
Anindya – Well all the 7/11 victims and their families could shame Manmohan Singh with some Gandhigiri, especially in light of his haneef remarks. Send him some sleeping pills and sleep well cards.
[...] the 6th of July 2007 Manmohan Singh reminded us of the grave perils of having an electile dysfunctional surrogate for a [...]