PROF PRAMOD PATHAK
Counter-factual history is that part of the story that did not happen. As such, to many it has no significance as what has happened has happened and what did not happen can no longer influence the future. But there is a more subtle angle to it.
Let us assume that Gandhi had not been assassinated. What could have been the course of history? Or say how things would have changed had Lal Bahadur Shastri not died in Tashkent? Or Mrs Indira Gandhi was not shot by her bodyguards? There can be many what-ifs that can be thought of. In the same vein let us think of Rajiv Gandhi. Had he not been killed in May 91 where would India be today?
There is an expression called a turning point often used in history to describe events or incidents that seemingly have a far-reaching impact on the course of events in the life of a nation. Rajiv Gandhi’s killing was one such event that can be a case in point. Could India be different? No one knows. But we can ponder over this issue in light of a few basic realities that we witnessed in the three decades after his death.
But before that, let us talk about the man whose birth anniversary is falling today. This is neither a critique nor an ode to the person. It is a simple evaluation by an ordinary Indian of a Prime Minister’s life and time, who landed the top job due to some fortuitous circumstances. It is based on observation of events and incidents of those times as well as several chance encounters with the man.
Both, his entry into politics as well as his enthronement to the top job in the country followed tragic events. The tragic accident of his brother brought him to politics and the gruesome killing of his mother took him to the Prime Minister’s chair. Naturally, he was a newcomer to the dirty business of politics and though he subsequently learnt the art, he still remained a gentleman politician till his last.
To many, this term is a misnomer but Rajiv Gandhi was an exception. He was not a product of politics but was consumed by politics. I am yet to find a politician wearing such an innocent smile or laughing so heartily. His stint as a Prime Minister was a mixed bag. During the first two and a half years he could do no wrong, while in the second half he could do no right. He was pushed into the quagmire of politics by his very cronies who fell out with him for reasons best known to them. Though many good reasons were offered, the real ones remained shrouded in mystery. And he was a victim of something which can be called the fourth lie. Benjamin Disraeli had talked about three lies but forgot about the fourth one. The detractors of Rajiv Gandhi kept on repeating in rally after rally about the Bofors kickback and the compromise with national security. Lest we forget we used the same Howitzer guns in Kargil.
Slips of paper supposed to contain names of beneficiaries of the so-called corrupt deal were displayed in largely attended public rallies with the promise to jail them after the government was formed. The government, of course, was formed but the names of the beneficiaries are still not known. If it was a calculated lie it proved costly.
In the present times, we witness a scramble for making and breaking governments by those who vouch to be paragons of virtue. But Rajiv Gandhi was a man who despite being the largest single party in the Parliament chose not to stake the claim to form the government as according to him the mandate was not in his favour. Liberal, democrat and statesman, Rajiv Gandhi was a different genre altogether. Call him a misfit or the right fit, he represented values in politics.
Coming to his contribution, one sentence suffices. If his grandfather, the first Premier, laid the foundation of a modern, scientific and self-reliant India, Rajiv Gandhi prepared the ground for India’s launch into the 21st century. The digital India, the connected India, and the technical soft power giant owe a lot to Rajiv Gandhi and his technology missions.
His vision and commitment paved the way for the IT revolution that makes India a leader in the field. The five years he stayed on the chair need to be reevaluated fairly. He was responsible for the paradigm shift that gives India the strength and confidence to take the quantum jump into the next league. Quite an irony that even his own party is not enthused by his legacy. But if the party has to revive the gospel to be read is his famous speech at the Congress centenary conference at Bombay in 1985. A document that can give an objective SWOT analysis of the party and suggest the way forward.
