It is unfortunate that India lacks real brave leaders. It was not so when the nation was born.
Subhash, Nehru, Patel, even Ambedkar, Kidwai and many were brave to the core before or even after getting power and perks of office. I have seen Nehru controlling an arrogant crowd or mob. Subash was just a dare devil. Patel could face the entire princely arrogance single handedly. And Mahatma was at the top of those brave souls that were ready to sacrifice everything to build the new nation. I recently came across a media report on Mahatma that every young men of the country must know and the political leaders if they have chosen the profession must emulate.
In late October 1946, Mahatma travelled to Noahkhali district in Bengal (now in Bangladesh) where many Hindus had been killed, forcibly converted, abducted and their property destroyed.
Historian Judith Brown writes, “Despite his age and physical frailty, Gandhi plunged into a punishing regime of travels and speeches, trying to confront the terror and bitterness, absorbing it and calming and comforting those he met.”
Journalist Horace Alexander narrated an incident that occurred in that surcharged season:
One day when Gandhi was praying in a village, a Muslim caught him by the throat. Gandhi almost collapsed. But even as he fell down, he recited some lines from the Quran. On hearing them, the Muslim said, “I am sorry. I am prepared to protect you. Give me any work. Tell me what should I do?” Gandhi replied, “Do only one thing. When you go back home, do not tell anyone what you tried to do to me. Otherwise there will be Hindu-Muslim riots. Forget me and forgive yourself.”
I adore Mahatma as leader of the nation in need. His focus was social reform and providing engagement to the people at the bottom of the pyramid. He started with everything to uplift the downtrodden and lower deprived class and many things such as basic education and sanitation by getting personally involved and setting examples.
If our politicians have chosen the profession of leadership, they must learn to live with its risk and not only demand a salary package higher than that of the highest paid bureaucrat. And I put the blame of it on the voting population and young generation. In democracy they can do that only by rejecting these leaders from representing them.
If Naxalite leaders are creating a menace for the integrity of the country or some rebels or anti-nationals are trying to tear off the secular fabrics of the nation, it is for the political leaders to come out with political solution and work for it without any fear and face the forces directly.
For uplifting the tribal and misguided youths, why can’t the heads of different political parties with huge money in their coffers meant for fighting elections take up the social task for educating and providing the basic healthcare for their voters through their party machinery and their followers? Perhaps they and their men are too busy in finding ways and means to siphon all the sanctioned money and benefits of the government of the day for the deprived for satisfying their own greed.
It’s really a hopeless situation so far politicians are concerned. Perhaps one can’t expect any daring steps from Man Mohan Singh. But many wonder, why can’t he quit or handover the power one like Rahul if he is the ultimate head of the state. I don’t know if Sonia Gandhi did a great service to this nation by not accepting the position of the prime minister bringing in a dummy like Man Mohan as he would not do anything without getting a nod from her.
I am sure most of the political leaders today work under a dire fear of their lives. How can they serve this big country under that situation? Many may differ but perhaps today Mamta and Chidambaram are the bravest among the political leaders. Unfortunately, Mamta is low in intelligence and Chidambaram is not being allowed to work as he would like for an effective solution of the country’s most important internal security problems, be it naxalism, Kashmir or terrorism from across the border. That is one reason that Naxalites have demanded his resignation. And who knows his party may agree.
Can someone list out the contemporary brave political leaders of the country? If we go by Khuswant Singh, Rahul Gandhi is “much more talented” than his father Late Rajiv Gandhi who was “not really a leader” but “a boy scout” with some “good ideas but none of them extraordinary”.
Why should Sonia not agree to save the nation by putting the brave Rahul in the saddle?
Unfortunately, none in the opposition come up to my expectation from a brave leader
दृष्टिकोण - Indra's Viewpoint 