Congress talking about Horse trading reeks of hypocrisy. It takes me back to the year 1983 when NTR barged into the party's hitherto unbreakable Fortress of South India which faithfully sided with it not long ago. Even after the excess of Emergency Congress kept on sweeping South in an era of sychopancy when our ex President Zail Singh made a sweeping statement - "I will sweep the floor if Mrs. Indira Gandhi asks me to do so".
NTR was swiftly punished by Indira for breaking her Southern firewall as Andhra voted for the first time against AMMA (Mother) Indiramma's wish. No sooner NTR completed a year, than Indira's henchmen led by her son in waiting Rajeev Gandhi dismissed the government and put a Congressi stooge to replace the actor - politician.
NTR ferried his MLAs to a resort, in the heart of the current Resort politics - a city named Bangalore to prevent further poaching of his MLAs. It was probably the first instance of resort politics in India. Bangalore was chosen as the venue at that time as there were very few non Congress party ruled states in India, R K Hegde led Karnataka was one of them.
It was perfect on the job training for the scion of the Gandhi family who was forced into politics after Indira's other son, the chosen heir Sanjay Gandhi died tragically in an air crash. Congress used to be the champion of the art of breaking opposition governments in state aided by by horse trading. Post assassinated Gandhis, Narasimha Rao continued the tradition in managing to survive his minority government.
This was a pioneering tradition set by Congress which others followed. BJP soon learnt to outsmart Congress at its own game. The Grand Old Party's whining and blaming the Saffron Party of doing exactly what it used to do before reminds me of the Odia proverb - CHALUNI KAHUCHI CHHUNCHI TO PACHHA RE GOTE KANA, transliterated, "The seive pointing to the needle of the later having a hole at its bottom". It simply means, Kettle calling the pot black.
NTR was swiftly punished by Indira for breaking her Southern firewall as Andhra voted for the first time against AMMA (Mother) Indiramma's wish. No sooner NTR completed a year, than Indira's henchmen led by her son in waiting Rajeev Gandhi dismissed the government and put a Congressi stooge to replace the actor - politician.
NTR ferried his MLAs to a resort, in the heart of the current Resort politics - a city named Bangalore to prevent further poaching of his MLAs. It was probably the first instance of resort politics in India. Bangalore was chosen as the venue at that time as there were very few non Congress party ruled states in India, R K Hegde led Karnataka was one of them.
It was perfect on the job training for the scion of the Gandhi family who was forced into politics after Indira's other son, the chosen heir Sanjay Gandhi died tragically in an air crash. Congress used to be the champion of the art of breaking opposition governments in state aided by by horse trading. Post assassinated Gandhis, Narasimha Rao continued the tradition in managing to survive his minority government.
This was a pioneering tradition set by Congress which others followed. BJP soon learnt to outsmart Congress at its own game. The Grand Old Party's whining and blaming the Saffron Party of doing exactly what it used to do before reminds me of the Odia proverb - CHALUNI KAHUCHI CHHUNCHI TO PACHHA RE GOTE KANA, transliterated, "The seive pointing to the needle of the later having a hole at its bottom". It simply means, Kettle calling the pot black.
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