you could have knocked me down with a feather when I heard that A. K. Antony made it to the centre as, of all the things, the defense minister!!! wonder what made the PM or the super PM pick him for this high profile, high tension, high pressure portfolio. maybe it has somthing to do with his initials AK?
jokes aside, it could be a well meaning decision. with the defense ministry coming under a cloud. Mr.Clean can have a detergent effect, on the other hand, it could be a very smart decision. it’s common knowledge that Antony has this habit of dropping ministerial positions like hot potato the moment he begins to suspect the stink of a rotten deal. perhaps he’s seen as a stop gap arrangement who will make his own exit when the seat gets hot.
I used to be a huge fan of Antony. but during his last stint as the chief minister of kerala, he made too many mistakes in the name of party unity. and see where he landed his party in the state! he did not put his foot down on a few occasions when he should have.
but am sure that the erstwhile Antony fans are happy that he is given another chance to prove himself. an honest man in Indian politics is so rare a phenomenon that he should be given every possible chance and space to leave behind an impact. one never knows –Antony may surprise everyone with the sterner side he briefly exhibited immediatley after he took over as the CM of kerala in 2001.
honestly, I can’t help wishing him success. it reflects poorly on a polity that has no use for integrity.
I also congratulate him.
ReplyDeleteHe achieved a great thing.
My best wishes to you too!
WOw! thats a surprise! Of all people... anyways, hope he doesnt resign if Pakistan tests a nuclear weapon!
ReplyDeleteHe is a person with no administrative ability and God only knows how he is going to conduct himself as Defence Minister of India. I have posted a blog on the same lines in my blogpost
ReplyDeletei read your blog. i am pasting below my response to your blog and the comments to your blog.
ReplyDeletewhile i agree with the factual details of your blog, i dont agree with your take that he is obsessed with his image.what we see in antony is the struggle of an honest politician to survive and deliver in the cesspool that is indian politics now.
come on, let' give the devil his due. i was quite shocked at the vitriolc responses to your blog on antony.the trouble with him is
1. he loves his country
2. he is honest
3. doesn't have the political chicanery of say, a person like VP singh
4. desnt have political street smartness
i admired him for his statement on the minorities, which caused quite a hue and cry in kerala. he was'nt trying to appease the majority as alleged. he said what he believed. in politics, when you say or do what u believe in without the capacity to sell your convictions to the masses(like Indira gandhi ), the witch hunt begins.
u must admit that antony did exceedingly well when he took over as the CM in 2001-it takes a lot of courage to introduce the service reforms which would have made the state employees more accountable. the people were with him. remeber how citizens opened locked schools a nd started conducting classes to break union strength.antony meant business. that the whole thing boomeranged on him is a reflection of how a few politicians with their unions rule the roost in kerala.antony's pary let him down then. if the party had stood by him and his candidate won the kochi election(where the marxist candidate sebastian won with karunakaran's support), we would have seen a different antony today - cos the peolpe were with him.
i am not giving him up. keeping my fingers crossed.
i find , we indians have become such cynics that a corrupt perfromer is preferred to a clean statesman. unless we change and offer the unrelenting support to a person like antony, our poilitical arena will never be rid of corruption.
you would have noticed that my blog on this issue ends on an optimistic note.
I have linked your blog with mine. Hope that's okay!
ReplyDeleteits okay.thanks.
ReplyDeletei dont believe antony is tailor made for the role..neways we can expect less corruption.thats the only worthwhile part of it..
ReplyDeleteI cant digest it when you say Antony did not put his feet down against the rebels, ommen chandy did it rite ?...and the party split. the karunakaran faction still has immense influence in many parts of the state and any given day Antonys stand was right. there are only a very few ppl like him in indian politics and he is no fool
ReplyDelete@bvn
ReplyDeleteagree with your last statement. but shall reserve comments about the leader till his party proves its self at the hustings.