Commentary/ Vir Sanghvi
The crisis of 1987 was about the legacy of Indira Gandhi and the damage
she did to our system
Opinions will always be divided over who was
more to blame for
the constitutional crisis of 1987. Was Zail Singh merely a cynical,
venal politician who was ready to dismiss a popularly elected prime
minister only to obtain a second term for himself?
And even if he was a bumbling idiot who said the wrong things
to world leaders, did Rajiv Gandhi really have right to flout
conventions and to ignore him as completely as he did for all
of 1986. After all, the issue went beyond Rajiv and Zail as individuals.
It concerned the crucial constitutional relationship between the
president and the prime minister of India.
I suspect that both positions have some merit. The manner in which
he intrigued with the likes of Chandra Swami in his last days
suggests that Giani Zail Singh lacked the stature to be President
of India.
Equally, it is hard to deny that Rajiv Gandhi's lack of experience
led him to make matters worse. If the office of President is occupied
by a man who is unfit for the job then you must find a way to
keep the individual in check without damaging the office itself.
Rajiv Gandhi failed to make this crucial distinction.
But finally, the issue is not whether Zail Singh should have moderated
his essential personality to behave in a more presidential manner
or whether Rajiv Gandhi should have waited till he had some experience
of government before becoming prime minister.
The key issue is this: Who made Zail Singh President? And who
saw to it that Rajiv would become prime minister without ever
having occupied any ministerial office at all? The answer is he
same in both cases: Indira Gandhi.
She had worked closely with Zail Singh. She knew what he was like.
Despite this she made him President, not because he was any good
but because he was loyal. Similarly, she knew that Rajiv, no matter
how good his intentions, was not ready for the job. But she wanted
him to succeed her anyway simply because he was her son.
When the President and the prime minister both owe their jobs
to considerations other than pure merit, such confrontations, and
crises are inevitable.
The constitutional crisis of 1987 was not really about Rajiv or
Zail Singh. It was about the legacy of Indira Gandhi and the damage
she did to our system.
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