The Chalice of Poison

The week has been full of events related to change of guard in national parties: building consensus for peaceful transition of power. These events take place in political parties after a period of time as required by their constitutions. This time it happened in both the main national parties within the span of a week’s time: the formal anointing of Rahul Gandhi as Vice-President of the Congress, and the election of Rajnath Singh as President of the BJP. Both will be key players in the run up to the general elections due in 2014.

It is not on these events and their consequences that I will comment but on the powerful message that was conveyed to the party and the nation by the acceptance speech of Rahul Gandhi. It was a speech that touched hearts, evoked memories and inspired hope. A speech I will not forget even if it does not turn out to be a turning point in the immediate future. It has the potential to inspire, to warn, to bring about change.

The crown of power comes with the chalice of poison.

But the one who wears the crown does not necessarily have to drink the poison. He or she has to make the choice, a very difficult choice in the face of circumstances that may camouflage poison as honey. One has to be shrewd and aware all the time because the poison will always be there.

Rahul referred in his speech to the “dark and cold” at dawn when he began his day outside in the balcony at Jaipur. He may as well have been referring to the cold darkness in the corridors of power. His father, the late Rajiv Gandhi, had in his first year as prime minister often mentioned his wish to free the administration from the clutches of power brokers. He had meant well, but must have realized in the course of time how well entrenched the brokers were in the dark corridors of power. Rahul spoke of alienation and mediocrity: “People are angry because they are alienated from the system, their voices trampled upon…Our systems are designed to keep people with knowledge out.” Was he talking of the marginalized sections and the very poor whose legitimate demands are always met with deaf ears? Of those who are crushed by the might of the establishment when they choose to protest and agitate? It is true that Rahul has tried his best to meet the weaker sections and understand their problems during the last eight years as MP. He has, no doubt, shown that he has a socialist bent of mind like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

“It was dark and cold and I decided I’m not going to tell you only what you wanted to hear… (but) a little bit about what I feel… about hope and power.”(Rahul Gandhi)

I hope Rahul will also listen to what he does not want to hear, a little about what the people feel, and not be guided only by official statistics. India is such a huge country where feelings and facts can be drowned in a sea of statistics.

I should say that Rahul has begun well. His performance from now will be measured by many methods, among them the inspiring words he spoke. Words that touched hearts and brought tears. I will now share with you what touched me most: “Last night every single one of you congratulated me. But last night my mother came to my room and she cried… because she understands that the power so many people seek is actually a poison… The only antidote to this poison is that we should not become attached to it. We should not chase power. We should only use it to empower the voiceless.”

Power should never be the end but the means to a worthy end: empowering the people. Whenever power becomes an end, it becomes a poison. The poison that kills slowly. It kills others but it also kills the one who wields it.

Sonia Gandhi made a historical mark when she renounced ministerial power in 2004. That decision, in the Indian tradition as she said, marked her apart from other politicians. When she advises her son on matters of power, she does it from experience and from a position of strength. 

The greatness of power is when it is used as tool for service. The more the power, the more the capacity to serve and empower others.

The chalice of poison will be wherever the crown of power is. The greatness of a leader lies in his ability to wear the crown while keeping the chalice away. If Rahul manages to maintain this balance, we can hope for a better future for India. 

Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 27.01.2013