Justice: Without Fear or Favour

A statement made by Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary during his Madhya Pradesh tour equating the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with the Student Islamic Movement of India has invited the wrath of the Sangh parivar.

Such a statement is long overdue from the Congress leadership in the wake of the revelations made by the Anti-Terrorism Squad about the role of some Hindu extremist elements in some of the explosions near mosques in the recent past.

At a media briefing in Bhopal, Rahul is reported to have affirmed: 'I only know that both the SIMI and RSS are fanatical and hold fundamentalist views…There is no place for people with fanatical views in the Youth Congress.'

For long after independence, the Congress had enjoyed a reputation as a party that deals even handed with respect to peoples' issues without regard for colour or creed. It had championed the cause of the downtrodden and sought to extend additional facilities to the weaker sections and minorities in an effort to safeguard their rights. But several events had occurred that had tarnished the fair image of the Congress as a party ensuring justice to all.

Communal twist
Very often communal minded insiders had exerted undue influence on Congress policies sullying the fair name of the party. It must be admitted that it had played populist politics at the cost of justice and fair play. Over the years, the minorities have justifiably become suspicious of its roles and intentions. The Congress party's image as a bulwark of the rights of the downtrodden and the minorities had got weakened and this got reflected in the subsequent elections.

From the time Rahul began to be actively engaged in reactivating the party, he had emphasized in restoring inner party democracy. He had also striven to promote meritorious persons with leadership qualities within the party. Vote-bank politics ultimately erode the minorities' confidence. It is hoped that the boldness shown by Rahul might help the party to conform to the Constitutional safeguards for the minorities and guidelines on development of the weaker sections.

The recent verdict of the Allahabad high court on the Babri masjid issue is increasingly seen as a victory for the Hindutva elements. The court deciding the case giving more weight to faith of the majority rather than law had again cast a shadow on the secular credentials of this nation. It is a victory for majoritarianism, not rule of law. That the verdict did not lead to law and order problems could be a matter of satisfaction; but in the long run every right thinking person would vote for peace with justice.

Many a Congress politician had been airing openly that it is time that Rahul take up the leadership of the nation by occupying the chair of the prime minister. Unlike a normal Congressman he had been brushing aside such suggestions with a maturity that is not found in power-hungry politicians. More than going up the ladder of power, his current preoccupation seems to be to strengthen the organization.

Maturity
Speaking on the West Bengal affairs last month, he accused the CPM looting Central funds meant for the poor during the past 33 years. "The Centre has been giving money worth millions of rupees under the MNNREGA and other schemes , but the money is being drawn off by the CPM and not reaching the assigned poor people."

Judging by his pronouncements on various issues, Rahul Gandhi has shown great maturity in guiding the policies of the Congress party. He has a good grasp of the issues that confront the nation while other parties, especially the BJP, are obsessed by the desire to capture power. They blindly follow their agenda, disregarding the larger interests of the nation.