‘My mother has done a glorious job;’ ‘my brother has all the qualifications to become the PM’ – that is Priyanka on the MY – then a slight shift to the I – ‘look at me, am I old?’

The kind of vote-catching campaign Priyanka Vadra has focused on is a family projection syndrome – complete with the MY’s and the I.

Sonia Gandhi is off the mark when she keeps repeating that an attack on the PM is an attack on the country. Next she will demand an apology from Advani to the whole country. If the Congress is called ‘old woman’ then an apology is demanded from Modi to all old women of the country! Anything said against Congress leaders is equated as having been said against the country and its people.

But when Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi attack Advani and Modi, it does not translate into attacks against people  whose leader Advani is, nor against the State of Gujarat whose elected leader Modi is.  Strange logic, yet not surprising because Congress never had a logical approach.

Manmohan Singh has suddenly acquired a new avatar. Actually one should say that it is his real face; he only put on a mask all these days pretending to be gentle in words: ‘I am not accustomed to talk loud, it is not a sign of strength. I do not use harsh words. I am a doer.’

This is a hollow boast. If Advani take orders from the RSS as alleged by Sonia, then Manmohan Singh took orders from her; one wonders from whom she took orders. Was it friend Octavio Quattrocchi whom she helped to loot and scoot? The RSS is at least of Indian origin and remains India-anchored. So what’s the harm in a leader taking orders from the RSS? Is it a crime, a culpable offence?

But when Manmohan Singh takes orders from one who is not an Indian, but only a naturalized citizen, this has its own dangers. Sonia Gandhi till date has not irrevocably denounced her Italian citizenship. So Manmohan Singh by taking orders from Sonia Gandhi has exposed the country to dangers from within. Perhaps this is what Sonia unwittingly leaked when she said we face dangers from within the country!

Manmohan Singh educates us on his capabilities. He forgets what he had reminded us last week - the test of the pudding is the eating of it. We have tested the pudding for five years and it is so insipid and tastes pasta that nobody will want a second helping. Now his allegory is foot and shoe! Congress has suddenly developed a shoe phobia so he wants to demonstrate which foot the shoe pinches. He must have got some tips from Chidambaram.

The Congress had to be exposed to the boot to instill some sensitivity and accountability; to realize it cannot get away with the massacre of a minority community. Removing two leaders who allegedly led the butchering of 1984 is no solution, because the party’s then leader, Rajiv Gandhi, justified the genocide of 4733 Sikhs (2733 in Delhi and 2000 elsewhere).

Like Bofors, the Congress and its leaders must live with this guilt and when the ‘inner voice’ of the people dictates they will resurrect it and demand a pound of flesh. To return to Manmohan Singh, who believes he is not a talker but a doer? He has practiced his wordy riposte and has proved he is second to none when it comes to indulging in personal attacks with lies and harsh language. We the people have seen how fast he takes decisions and what sort of decisions he took. His allies who extended support from outside abandoned him precisely because of his frequently misleading Parliament on the N-deal.

Yet having an eye on retaining the gaddi, Manmohan Singh now says it was great working with the Left and hopes to work with them again! So Manmohan Singh’s mask is off - this is his true avatar; it is not a new avatar. Look at the decisions he took for the past five years.14 blasts across the country and he apologizes to the people with hollow promises that the terrorists will be brought to book. How many terrorists have been brought to justice?

His Home Minister P. Chidambaram concedes Intelligence failure and promises it will not happen again. Within a week we have five blasts in Assam and Manmohan Singh has nothing to say! He personally is not corrupt, true, but he presided over the most corrupt ministry. He refused to take action against IT minister Raja even though provided with all relevant proof. Abetment of corruption is worse than being corrupt; it is open promotion of evil.

Manmohan Singh did not have even the right to choose his own cabinet, surely the prerogative of the PM. Yet he wants us to believe he is strong and can take decisions. He was unperturbed over the vote-for-money, nor was he decisive enough to demand Shibu Soren put in his papers. All that he under Sonia’s direction aimed at was to keep the UPA afloat at all cost. From day one his antenna was attuned to pick up the signals of commands and he automatically performed according to the pulls of the puppeteer. More than 50 years in power and shame on the Congress to still promise development to the people.

Sonia Gandhi wants the people to decide who is stronger - Manmohan Singh or Advani. This demands that Manmohan Singh faces the electorate and not sneak into Parliament through the backdoor. This is not the way to conduct a test of strength and expect people to decide when they are not given a chance to elect the stronger candidate. Typical of Sonia Gandhi whose manipulative skills are well-tested. Sonia Gandhi has scant respect and regard for democratic norms; hence she will not allow Manmohan Singh to face the electorate. What if he loses? How then can she be sure that the new incumbent will vacate the gaddi for Rahul when she decides? The gaddi is her focus and hence she projects it on Advani, accusing him of not wanting to lose his gaddi!

How did she acquire the Congress President’s gaddi? Poor Sitaram Kesri, who left the chair for ten minutes to attend to some private business, on return found his chair occupied by Sonia Gandhi! She is accustomed to power without responsibility. Manmohan Singh has taken all the brickbats. No wonder she is putting up a spirited defense of Singh, because of a guilt complex.

After all, he was so faithful, so submissive, has never asserted his will and has put on such a good simulated show of governance. Will she get a better Regent? It is for the people of this country to decide if they want a family who believes in the Divine Right Theory to run a democratic government.

The author is a retired Professor from Stella Maris College, Chennai, and lives in Vadodara