Lethargic  and  Self-Absorbed Presidency of India at a Time of Political Paralysis

Indian Presidency, headed by Mrs. Pratibha Patil since July 2007, has been scarred by unpalatable developments, which have been caused by the presidential personality of Mrs. Patil. Her detractors have disparaged her functioning, referring to her Presidency as unpleasantly indifferent and self-centered. The presidential post of this land, epitomized by august ceremonialism, has been occupied historically by esteemed personalities such as S Radhakrishnan, Rajendra Prasad, RK Narayanan, Abdul Kalam, etc. each of whom brought majesty, integrity, intellect, selflessness and impeccability to this position. Lamentably, Pratibha Patil, whose candidature for the Presidency was presented unexpectedly by the UPA in 2007, has gifted the nation a Presidency symbolized by unseemly ethics and displeasing controversies. The general observers of political news in India have been infuriated by the unwholesome controversies encircling Mrs. Patil’s Presidency.

What has added to the popular fury towards her Presidency is the sturdy perception that she is an INC loyalist, who has docilely served her political party by being in the Presidency. From here stems the proposition that she has politicized the Presidency condemnably. Her docility and inaction on momentous national issues such as the execution of the convicted terrorist, Afzal Guru, have invited popular opprobrium. Her Presidency has offered a paucity of constructiveness to the nation and to the central government. The national government has never been reprimanded by her despite the reprehensible inefficiency and wretched incoherence that the current Indian government has represented. Probably, a more hands-on, enthusiastic, inventive and knowledgeable President will have proposed certain recommendations to revivify the sagging national morale and to instill dynamism in the popular mindset.  A President, more interested in India’s development, will have suggested concrete ways to energize the national growth. Productive criticisms of the paralyzed UPA government may have been put forth by a politically unprejudiced President, which President Patil has not been.

The infuriation and helplessness being experienced by the national populace, due to the ineffectualness, waywardness and inconsiderateness of the national administration, has been aggravated by a highly uninspiring and insipid Presidency that has been linked to revolting monetary profligacy. Corruption in the incumbent Indian government has been manifested by the whopping 2G scam, the dishonorable CWG scam, the unbecoming ISRO-Devas scam, the injudicious selection of the CVC (involving the selection of the civil servant, PJ Thomas, against whom there is a case of corruption in the Kerala judiciary linked to the Palmolein import scam), etc. The national temperament is in depression and wrath because of these odious scams. In the implementation of the wide-ranging NREGA, the existence of bribery, filching of money meant for the poor rural people and the general unproductiveness has added to the popular rage against New Delhi. A more approachable, visionary and affable President, à la Abdul Kalam from 2002-2007, may have been able to elevate the current despondent national mood into a mood of hopefulness. But Pratibha Patil, with her perceived political partisanship, has only exacerbated the popular dissatisfaction, especially with the political establishment.

President Patil’s overseas voyages have, as per her, amplified the diplomatic strength of India internationally. But her foreign jaunts have, nonetheless, occurred by using taxpayers’ cash. Nearly Rs. 200-210 crores of taxpayers’ money have been utilized to enable her presidential visits abroad. Her overseas journeys as India’s President have been an immense affair as her familial members have accompanied her too. She has visited 22 overseas nations spanning 4 continents. Her opponents have accused her of expanding the expenditures of these foreign trips by increasing her entourage for these travels by including relatives. The President’s son, Rajendra Shekhawat, who is the INC MLA from Amravati, seemingly exploited his standing as the President’s son to obtain 532 sq m of NCC land. The land was attained by him allegedly for a college managed by the Vidya Bharati Education Society (VBES), a philanthropic foundation. The land, of the value of Rs. 1.50 crores, was bought by him when he was the VBES’s chairman. In June 2007, President Patil’s brother, GN Patil, had been accused of assassinating Vishram Patil, a Congressman of Jalgaon. The accusation was placed on the President’s brother by Rajni Patil, a professor at a Jalgaon college, who was the wife of the murdered Vishram Patil. Rajni Patil alleged that Pratibha Patil had safeguarded her brother reprehensibly. In June 2007, it surfaced that a female cooperative bank, established by Pratibha Patil in 1973, had become penniless as a consequence of loan waivers offered to Pratibha Patil’s kith and kin. The RBI had presented a closure notification in 2003 due to the bank’s bankruptcy.

Also, in June 2007, a month prior to her election as India’s head of state, another discomforting piece of news pertaining to her was divulged. It was disclosed that a sugar cooperative, of which Pratibha Patil had been the directress and chairwoman, had defaulted with bank loans equaling Rs. 17.3 crores. Her control of the sugar cooperative lasted till she was provided with the Governorship of Rajasthan in 2004. In April 2007, the INC-NCP government in Maharashtra had leased 25000 sq feet of valuable land in Amravati to Pratibha Patil’s husband’s education foundation. The state government had consented to construct a sports complex on that land using Rs. 36 lakhs from Pratibha Patil’s MPLADS fund. This fund was obtained by her in 1996 when she was a Lok Sabha MP from Amravati. The usage of Rs. 36 lakhs from her MPLADS fund for her spousal education foundation was in opposition to the regulations for distribution of MPLADS fund.

But the controversy that stung her more massively was related to her post-retirement home in Pune. Some weeks back, an RTI divulgement had brought to light that Pratibha Patil had been allocated defense land in Pune to erect a bungalow for her. The extent of this land was six times bigger than she is entitled for. She had been accused by certain ex-military personnel of stealing land, meant for housing soldiers and war widows, in order to construct a copious bungalow in Pune. She was accused subsequently of exhibiting callousness for the Indian soldiers and their legitimate interests.  The fact that land, which was supposed to accommodate soldiers living in cramped homes, was being used to build a gigantic bungalow for the President, generated sizable contempt for the Presidency in the minds of the citizenry.  Certain military personnel have blamed her for her dearth of genuine interest in military affairs considering she is the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces.

The unbecoming and listless tenure of Pratibha Patil as President has also brought the stately post of President into the realm of popular suspicion. As it is, the political establishment in India is at the nadir as regards respect from the national citizenry.- May 30, 2012.