The most amazing thing I came across last week was that 10 Janpath does not keep flatterers. Though, through assiduous media efforts, an impression is being created that 10 Janpath is repellent to such bees. In fact, flattery and sycophancy are twin sisters and today those who do not know this art are not eligible for membership of the Congress party.

Lest I may be misunderstood as a biased person, please tell me about a Congressman who is not a flatterer or sycophant. This sycophancy is prevalent in general. Sometimes media performs better out of sycophancy. Otherwise, what justifies the stature and coverage Rahul Gandhi is accorded in media. There are a number expert sting operators, yet no information is available how Rahul Gandhi skipped SPG cover an lived in a village hut.

In a dynasty grooming for kingship has been an age old tradition. The day Rahul Gandhi was made general secretary everyone concluded that the boy is being groomed to be the ruler of India. But, HRD Minister Arjun Singh was in so much hurry that he utilised the occasion for induction of a few young faces in the ministry and Rahul Gandhi's declining the offer by commenting that why Rahul can't be the Prime Minister.

Another bye-product of the episode was to create the impression that Rahul sacrificed the ministership he was offered, followed by a chorus in support of Rahul Gandhi, being projected as the future Prime Minister. It was a calculated snub for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. After all there is a procedure for choosing a Prime Minister. He could not have offered it on his own. He did the next best thing, offering a ministership in the Union Cabinet. The Congress spokesperson officially refuted Arjun Singh's statement about Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister. But, by then more than half-a-dozen Congressmen were delighted to support Rahul's coronation.

Of course, we all know that both Pranab Mukherjee and Arjun Singh who are supporting Rahul for the top post were themselves aspirants for Prime Ministership on grounds of being senior most in the party.

It is not that 10 Janpath dislikes flatterers. Nor it is a new phenomenon. It starts with the dynasty itself. Recall the words of Nehru after he threw the elected President Rajarshi Purushottam Das Tandon out. While presiding over the CWC meeting Nehru said that the Congressmen treat him like a mahant; they want him to win the election without themselves doing anything for the party. This becomes more clear when one reads the autobiography of KM Munshi and NV Gadgill and articles written by Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and Dr BR Ambedkar. They all point to the fact that Jawaharlal liked flattery to the extent that many who fought for freedom and went to jail with him were weeded out from the party because they could not be expected to indulge in flattery.

The unashamed culture of sycophancy began by UN Dheber who was nominated by Nehru to succeed him as president of the Congress in 1954. Dheber time and again publically said that "please do not do anything and do not say anything which is not liked by our beloved Prime Minister." But it is Dev Kant Barua who should be honoured with a flattery medal for his slogan "Indira is India and India is Indira."

Flattery has many shades. For example Kamlapati Tripathi, the then CWC president, used to put forward his both feet and tried various means to attract the attention of a visitor until he touched Tripathi's feet. Jagjivan Ram, too, liked his feet being touched, especially by Brahmins.

In fact, touching of feet today has become national political culture. Did anyone expect Manmohan Singh to say that "Rahul is our future." Rahul, who could not even make a speech in the Parliament, barring once reading haltingly a written text. Surprisingly, even this text reading was hailed by Congressmen as a great speech.

If a photo-exhibition of chappals of the ruling family members being carried by the Chief Ministers and other Ministers, is organised one would be surprised to see well known faces taking pride in doing this. Once Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, T Anjjaiya, was photographed lifting chappals of Sanjay Gandhi. If it is a question of limiting the rights of ruling India to Nehru-Gandhi family then why not Varun Gandhi who is a good orator, clear thinker in contrast with Rahul Gandhi. I can say this with authority as I had many interactions with him. Above all Varun's personal life is not shrouded in any mystery.

If India is unfortunate enough to prove Arjun Singh and the ilk right then the natural choice would be Rahul Gandhi with Columbia tag, continuing the tradition set by his father. It is a historically tested fact that dynasty is worst at its fourth generation. Despite this none of them had the paucity of sycophants around them.

Courtesy: www.dailypioneer.com, April 20, 2008