Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Who the hell is Sonia?

She's definitely the blue-eyed baby of Indian politics. Sonia Gandhi, may lack experience or even good oratory skills, but her high-profile lineage has placed her on a high pedestal.

In a country, which has mostly seen pot-bellied, white-haired, paan chewing netahs, the suave and well-groomed Sonia had no difficulty grabbing the spotlight.

The "Indian obsession" for the white skin is evident from the amount of print and TV space dedicated to this Italian lady -- anything from a sneeze to a yawn is exaggerated and published.

Recently, I was witness to this blind adoration, when I had to edit one of the many copies that choked our server after BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan was shot (by his brother). This particular one was about how the President, the Prime Minister, the Vice President, Sonia and Lalu Prasad Yadav had expressed shock at the incident and wished the leader a speedy recovery. But the proposed headline read "Prez, PM, Sonia wish Pramod a speedy recovery".

Sonia deserved more space on the headline than even the Vice President.

Why Sonia found a place in the headline is only proof of her adulation. Never, in the history of Indian politics, has a party president ever received so much acknowledgment. How many of you know who the BJP president is? For the uninitiated, it is Rajnath Singh.

Now looking at things in a different perspective, it wouldn't be incorrect to assume that Dr Manmohan Singh is nothing but a puppet in the hands of Mrs Gandhi.

Anyway, I edited the story, cut Madam Sonia's name from the headline and send it for publishing.

Madam Sonia might continue to ride high on the "Gandhi" tag, but for some sensible people like me, she will never get any undue coverage!

2 Comments:

Blogger Pradeep Nair said...

If Sonia wants to be in politics and has taken the decision rather too late, can her lineage be held against her? Isn't that unfair? True, she doesn't have a great biodata in politics to show off. But look at it from the other side... isn't she far better than a good majority of thugs masquerading as politicians?

1:16 AM  
Blogger Sneha May Francis said...

Pradeep, I accept your point. But in this case, lineage is the ONLY reason why she is been given so much importance. I would have given her more respect if she had been there with her own hardwork. A "Gandhi" tag is not enough to impress me. In fact, the other thugs may have more credibility.

4:56 PM  

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