There’s one thing that has dominated the print and electronic media
over the last few weeks ~ the Presidential election. I have been
following the developments more out of disbelief than curiosity.
Frankly, I do not understand what the fuss is all about. I fail to
comprehend why the election to the office of the President of India gets
so much attention and coverage. I have been desperately trying to
figure out why the office of the President of India is considered so
important and thus attractive.
I understand that it’s a great honour to get a chance to hoist the tricolour and preside over the parade at Rajpath on 26 January every year. It must be exciting for the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces to take the salute. It would be a memorable experience to read out a prepared speech without any modulation whatsoever on Republic Day, reminding Indians about our democratic principles, secular credentials, constitutional values and our composite culture. It must be a joyful experience to read out a generic speech urging the government to pursue inclusive growth and sustainable development thereby making people wonder if is the same text that was used in 2009 or 2010 or 2011.
Understandably, the prospect of celebrating Holi or Raksha Bandhan with little kids and posing for photographs that would appear on the front page of newspapers the next day is definitely very attractive. It must be a hair-raising experience to be airborne in a fighter jet aircraft and fly at a speed close to supersonic level. More importantly, you can get pictures of yourself wearing a combat aircraft suit clicked which you can probably use for your Facebook profile. No doubt, it’s very difficult to resist a chance to take your family to several countries at a cost of several hundred crores of rupees charged to the Consolidated Fund of India. Naturally, anyone would be tempted by the prospect of visiting exotic countries like say Burkina Faso with your family and then proudly claiming that it is the first Indian presidential visit to the country in several decades.
It’s definitely a great privilege to be the first one to send Diwali or Christmas or Id wishes to the people of this great nation. It’s certainly an honour to be the first one to congratulate sportspersons on their achievements or mourn the demise of Indian legends in different fields using a standard template that was probably prepared in 1953. It would definitely be an exhilarating experience to rise to the occasion and give away the Param Vir Chakra, the Padma awards and the Filmfare awards. OK, probably not the last one.
It must definitely be a wonderful experience to use the Mercedes Benz S600L Pullman armoured car upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore. It’s not difficult to appreciate that it would be hard to turn down the prospect of getting a nice post-retirement bungalow on a massive piece of defence land. Needless to say, it must be a thrilling experience to sit on mercy petitions for several years.
But these minor privileges apart, I do not understand why anyone would want to be the President of India. It’s a tough job. Can you visualise how difficult it must be to arbitrarily grant pardon to someone found guilty of sacrificing a nine-year-old boy for his prosperity, especially after the Supreme Court described it as “an illustrative and most exemplary case to be treated as the ‘rarest of rare cases’ in which death is and should be the rule, with no exception whatsoever”? Most of us hate being advised by others. So you can imagine what an incredibly daunting task it must be to go strictly by the advice of the Council of Ministers (42nd amendment to Article 74(1) of the Constitution). What an arduous task it must be to quietly give your assent to every Bill!
Can you imagine how difficult it is to live up to the reputation of the office that was once held by a respectable gentleman who proudly remarked that he would sweep his leader’s room with a broom if asked? Can you imagine doing the extremely challenging and intellectually stimulating task of obediently issuing the proclamation of Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution by signing the papers at midnight using your Constitutional authority as head of state to allow a leader to rule by decree? No, I am not talking about plunging the country into crisis. That’s not the issue here. It’s about being woken up at midnight. Why would anyone tolerate that?
I find the job of the President of India extremely unattractive despite some minor benefits listed at the beginning of this article. And that’s why I find it difficult to understand why someone would want to be nominated as a candidate. Thankfully, I am quite young and hence fortunately, I will not be considered for nomination for at least another 50 years. I am relieved.
Link: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=416233&catid=39
I understand that it’s a great honour to get a chance to hoist the tricolour and preside over the parade at Rajpath on 26 January every year. It must be exciting for the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces to take the salute. It would be a memorable experience to read out a prepared speech without any modulation whatsoever on Republic Day, reminding Indians about our democratic principles, secular credentials, constitutional values and our composite culture. It must be a joyful experience to read out a generic speech urging the government to pursue inclusive growth and sustainable development thereby making people wonder if is the same text that was used in 2009 or 2010 or 2011.
Understandably, the prospect of celebrating Holi or Raksha Bandhan with little kids and posing for photographs that would appear on the front page of newspapers the next day is definitely very attractive. It must be a hair-raising experience to be airborne in a fighter jet aircraft and fly at a speed close to supersonic level. More importantly, you can get pictures of yourself wearing a combat aircraft suit clicked which you can probably use for your Facebook profile. No doubt, it’s very difficult to resist a chance to take your family to several countries at a cost of several hundred crores of rupees charged to the Consolidated Fund of India. Naturally, anyone would be tempted by the prospect of visiting exotic countries like say Burkina Faso with your family and then proudly claiming that it is the first Indian presidential visit to the country in several decades.
It’s definitely a great privilege to be the first one to send Diwali or Christmas or Id wishes to the people of this great nation. It’s certainly an honour to be the first one to congratulate sportspersons on their achievements or mourn the demise of Indian legends in different fields using a standard template that was probably prepared in 1953. It would definitely be an exhilarating experience to rise to the occasion and give away the Param Vir Chakra, the Padma awards and the Filmfare awards. OK, probably not the last one.
It must definitely be a wonderful experience to use the Mercedes Benz S600L Pullman armoured car upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore. It’s not difficult to appreciate that it would be hard to turn down the prospect of getting a nice post-retirement bungalow on a massive piece of defence land. Needless to say, it must be a thrilling experience to sit on mercy petitions for several years.
But these minor privileges apart, I do not understand why anyone would want to be the President of India. It’s a tough job. Can you visualise how difficult it must be to arbitrarily grant pardon to someone found guilty of sacrificing a nine-year-old boy for his prosperity, especially after the Supreme Court described it as “an illustrative and most exemplary case to be treated as the ‘rarest of rare cases’ in which death is and should be the rule, with no exception whatsoever”? Most of us hate being advised by others. So you can imagine what an incredibly daunting task it must be to go strictly by the advice of the Council of Ministers (42nd amendment to Article 74(1) of the Constitution). What an arduous task it must be to quietly give your assent to every Bill!
Can you imagine how difficult it is to live up to the reputation of the office that was once held by a respectable gentleman who proudly remarked that he would sweep his leader’s room with a broom if asked? Can you imagine doing the extremely challenging and intellectually stimulating task of obediently issuing the proclamation of Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution by signing the papers at midnight using your Constitutional authority as head of state to allow a leader to rule by decree? No, I am not talking about plunging the country into crisis. That’s not the issue here. It’s about being woken up at midnight. Why would anyone tolerate that?
I find the job of the President of India extremely unattractive despite some minor benefits listed at the beginning of this article. And that’s why I find it difficult to understand why someone would want to be nominated as a candidate. Thankfully, I am quite young and hence fortunately, I will not be considered for nomination for at least another 50 years. I am relieved.
Link: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=416233&catid=39
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