“Bofors controversy is a dead issue and no longer an embarrassment for the party. Misusing CBI is a systemic issue. All parties in power can put pressure on its agencies”- Rahul Gandhi 
 

“The Quattrocchi case is an embarrassment for the government of India. We have tried to extradite him from Malaysia. We have tried to extradite him from Argentina. We have failed. The court says we do not have a strong case. It is not a good reflection on the Indian legal system that we harass people while the world says we have no case” – Manmohan Singh

The Bofors issue is no longer an embarrassment for Rahul Gandhi, but Dr. Manmohan Singh agrees that it has been an embarrassment. A close look at their statements proves that both of them agree that the issue is not at all an embarrassment either to the party or to the family and that they are not bothered about the issue being an embarrassment to the nation. While Manmohan Singh says the issue is a reflection of the Indian system, Rahul says the party can put pressure and misuse the system! Dr. Singh’s statement smacks of inefficiency and impotency; Rahul’s shows arrogance and idiocy. 
 

In this ugly 'Quattrocchi' episode, the Prime Minister, who is also in charge of the CBI, was not even aware of the visit of a CBI officer to London to facilitate the de-freezing of Q's bank accounts, as per arrangement of Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj on instructions from the Congress President. He didn’t feel shy of openly admitting that the episode happened without his knowledge. Even now, the CBI has been misused again to free the Italian fugitive from the clutches of Interpol, and both the PM and the would-like-to-be-PM have audaciously confessed to misusing the system! 
 

The Congress President imposed Manmohan Singh on India after her dreams of becoming Prime Minister were shattered by a shrewd nationalist President in May 2004. Since then, we have witnessed his performance, or lack of it. The country has come across issues like Bofors, Volcker Report on Oil for food scam, Office of Profit, Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, AIIMS episode, Spectrum scandal, Cash for Vote scam, Amarnath Land dispute and many others – all dreadful exhibitions of subversion of the Constitution and abuse of power through various ministries, all incriminating evidence of his weakness and his 'other' (dishonest) side.
 

He has not exercised his authority even once and has never been a 'decision maker'. The whole country witnessed the office of the PM losing its dignity, respect and honour, right from the day he was 'chosen' to head it and the day he said Sonia Gandhi was his source of strength and inspiration. Notwithstanding his subordination to Sonia, he was always bullied by the Left on one side and by regional allies on the other. He did not have the prerogative of appointing his cabinet colleagues; the cabinet was 'decorated' with political novices, criminals and the spouses of criminals, to the extent that a minister was even awarded life imprisonment for murder!
 

The last five years of Singh’s regime have been a pathetic display of maladministration and non-governance. It has failed in all areas including national security, economy, education, health, agriculture, food production, tourism, women and child welfare, Home affairs… There is nothing, not a single aspect of governance, which the country can feel proud of. 
 

Though Congress declared Manmohan as prime ministerial candidate, present and erstwhile allies have not agreed to his candidacy. Consistent efforts are being made to impose Rahul Gandhi as future prime minister. Hence it becomes imperative to analyse the qualities of a supposedly future leader. We have seen a highly qualified and supposedly honest Manmohan Singh failing miserably by acting dishonestly. Rahul Gandhi is neither qualified nor honest. His dishonesty has been evident through the nomination he filed at the Election Commission, wherein he lied blatantly, as brought out by a national newspaper. Though he sent a legal notice threatening legal proceedings, the newspaper had stood by its report. 
 

While dishonesty can never be tolerated, stupidity can be tolerated only to a certain extent. When both find place together with added arrogance, it should be shunned at once. Rahul has been a picture of all three and one can only shudder at the thought of his being at the helm of affairs in this country. Off elections, he has been silent and harmless; during elections, in attempting to impress the general public, he puts his foot in his mouth and the nation gets a dose of idiocy clubbed with arrogance. 
 

During the 2007 UP Assembly elections, he said, “If a member of the Gandhi family had been at the helm of affairs in 1992, the Babri Masjid demolition would not have taken place," and added, "My father Rajiv Gandhi always told my mother Sonia Gandhi that, if anyone wanted to demolish the Masjid, he would have to do it over his (Rajiv) dead body." Surely it was his father who opened the gates for ‘shilanyas’ at the site, yet he tried to hoodwink the people. This was an exhibition of naivety and a 'drama' of deceit. 
 

Campaigning in the same elections, he made an attack on the BSP and SP saying, "The dependence of these parties on single personalities was responsible for the deplorable condition of Uttar Pradesh. These two parties are squarely responsible for the lack of development of UP in the last fifteen years. The state cannot be held hostage to personality oriented politics and the one leader theory has already done a lot of damage to the state". 
 

Could anything be more amusing? If the dependence of political parties on single personalities was responsible for the deplorable condition of UP, what is wrong in blaming Congress for the deplorable condition of India as this party is still depending on personalities from a single family? Applying the same yardstick, why not say that Congress is squarely responsible for lack of development in the country in the last five decades? Going by Rahul's logic, we can also assert that the country cannot be held hostage to personality oriented politics and the one family theory has already done a lot of damage to the country. 
 

He couldn’t cut much ice in UP and Mayawati scored a fantastic victory and captured power single-handedly. After that, he led the Congress campaign in other assembly elections in Gujarat, Himachal, Karnataka, where Congress lost heavily. Now during the month-long campaign in the current general elections, the way he campaigned shows he has not improved even an iota in five years! In between, he even embarked on a “Discover India” mission! 
 

His statements on Bofors, CBI, his snubbing of extant allies and praising opposition leaders exhibit immaturity and idiocy which have made the party miserable. Senior leaders find it difficult to come out of those situations, but none has the courage to rein him in. He is a subject of ridicule among allies and opposition alike; yet he is touted as a future prime minister!  
 

We cannot be subjected to a reign of inefficiency and idiocy. One only hopes the people have voted strategically to get rid of the Useless Pathetic Alliance and place it in the safe hands of a Nationalistic and Democratic Alliance.   
 

The author is a senior journalist; he lives in Chennai