Sycophants’ Day out

Harinder Sikka

    Ieat politicians for breakfast," roared TN Seshan in an in­terview once.  As the Chief Election Cornmissioner, he had become larger than the institution he represented. For his taking some bold and unprecedented decisions, the me­dia turned Mr Seshan into a middle-class hero. However, thanks to a supportive public, which was tiring of politicians and their antics, Mr Seshan actually started to think of himself as the “chosen one”!  In the process, he gave himself a status equal to that of a Supreme Court judge and converted the Nirvachan Sadan into a virtual fortress.  So much so, that even his own colleagues and members of the staff kept a safe distance from his line of fire.  After his retirement, the Shiv Sena very cleverly fuelled his politician ambitions.

    Mr Seshan, however, is not isolated.  For sycophancy sends most of our “public servants” into a high.  During the days of the Bofors controversy, faced with a severe attack from the media, Rajiv Gandhi was reportedly advised to avoid reading the newspapers and watch only Doordarshan for news. Then, the sacked Naval Chief, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, acted in a most bizarre manner by questioning the orders of the ACC.  Under the influence of his lawyer wife, and surrounded by his sycophants, he actually started to behave as if he was the “supreme commander: of the Indian Navy.  Having used every trick to get to the top, he made the fatal mistake of not keeping his feet on the ground.

    Likewise, one cannot hold Ms Sonia Gandhi responsible for behaving imperiously.  In order to secure their self-interest in safe deposits, the coterie in the Congress is keeping her amused with slogan-shouting hirelings who have parked themselves permanently in front of 10, Janpath.  The great Bhakti poet Kabir had once said, “Even if a weak twine is run on the stone slate again and again, it leaves a permanent mark behind.”  Similarly, whenever a human is treated like a demi-god, a stage comes when the individual begins to believe all that worship as the truth.  In order to maintain such a image, these people tend to keep company of only those people who are willing to massage their egos.  Indira Gandhi too was known for her whims and fancies; she behaved like a political prima donna above reproach.  She too never parted ways with her sycophants.  It is no wonder that Ms Sonia Gandhi is following in her footsteps.  Sycophancy is like a drug on which dependence increased with each passing day.

    The lust for power, the undying urge to become mightier, has made great play-actors out of ordinary clay.  There is no reason why the inevitable would not catch up with such people.  Therefore, while more and more “leaders” are being turned into demi-gods, there are more and more worshippers.  India, which has a strong spiritual base, can boast of complete knowledge of the subject matter.  Volumes have been written by saints who have traditionally preached against such blind worship.  And yet, so influenced do we get with our daily chores that we do not even scratch the surface to look at the truth.

    It is such a coterie that is responsible for the Kargil pass.  By pulling down the BJP-led Government, the coterie around Ms Sonia Gandhi tried to usurp its way to power.  The Kargil war, in that sense, resulted from political instability-Pakistan decided the time was ripe to foment trouble in Kashmir.  The dedicated effort of the coterie has already resulted in the fall of three successive governments in as many years.  And now, by bringing even the sacred military into their shenanigans, by linking this military move with that political strategy, the coterie has undermined the Army.  Reeling under many other pressures and financial constraints, the military is left licking its wounds.  The spiritually inclined Indian mind is getting further distance from the truth.  The Pakistani forces are sitting on our land while the coterie refuses to look beyond its leader’s nose.