Here I am trying to beat SNS (Just joking- ain't nobody can come close to you)

Pratibha Patil sworn in as the new the President of India on July 25. Sonia Gandhi already has a nominated Prime Minister who, thanks to his lack of political authority, cannot step out of her line. She has now got elected a President who, being vulnerable,
would not dare cross the line she draws. Thus two high offices, one constitutional and the other political, have been trivialized to create a powerful office combining the authority of both. This office will function from Sonia's residence at 10 Jan path in Delhi but outside the Constitution of India. And more, the extra-constitutional office at 10 Jan path is not subject to constitutional restrictions or political answerability! It is (extra) constitutionally autonomous as well as autogenously. But despite their artificial smiles on the TV screen,
the sponsors of Pratibha Patil know that they cannot deny and have to face the uncomfortable truths about the new President.
They are also aware that the high office had been demeaned and trivialised by UPA's political compulsions to persist with the choice of Pratibha Patil which they knew, even before the lady had filed her nomination, as rank bad choice for the high office.
The sponsors of Pratibha now realise but will not accept that,
excepting that they have scored a politically important victory over the opposition NDA, Pratibha Patil in the high office does not make them feel proud of her or of themselves for placing her in that office.
They also know, but will not concede, that it is not a case of Pratibha ascending to the high office or adding prestige to it like her predecessor Kalam did, but, the other way round.
It is a case of the high office sliding down in moral authority to accept her in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It needs very little labour to drive home this point.
This is the first time, for instance, that the President of India will have a spouse, by conjugal right granted by law to live with her,
staying in the Rashtrapati Bhavan,
who has a criminal prosecution pending against him for abetting in forcing a poor teacher to commit suicide - a charge that can land him in jail for a maximum period of 10 years if found guilty!
Can the new President Pratibha Patil ever claim moral authority to give a message asking people to respect and revere teachers, say,
on the Teacher's Day which owes itself to one her great predecessors, Dr S. Radhakrishnan?
Again the new President will have a brother visiting or perhaps staying with her in the Rashtrapati Bhavan even as he faces investigation for murdering not only his, but also her, political opponent!
Can Pratibha Patil as the new President speak with moral authority against criminalization of politics if she were called to address any electoral reform meet?
More.
When the Presidential election process was on, 'The Tribune' newspaper, which was not a political opponent of UPA, had carried a cartoon which showed that Pratibha Patil , being chased by police, was racing toward the Rashtrapati Bhavan shouting
''Once I reach there, no court or cop can touch me!''
Yes, Pratibha Patil has now reached the safety zone of Rashtrapathi Bhavan that is, thanks to the Constitution, beyond courts and police as long as she stays there. She has blanket immunity granted by Art 361 (2) of the Constitution against all prosecutions.
(But unfortunately for her, it does not extend to her brother or husband!)
Also that Article does not prevent police from questioning her, even after she enters the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, for investigating a crime.
If she is found guilty in the investigation, even a charge-sheet against her can be made as the constitution only prevents the filing of the charge-sheet as long as she remains the President.
The Bombay High Court is already seized of a plea to interrogate her in the murder case against her brother.
Thus she may be first President of India to be questioned on the charges of murder against her brother that is the President's, for killing his political opponent who was also her political opponent. On the same logic she may also be questioned on the criminal charges against her
- read President's - husband for abetting in the suicide of a teacher in an educational institution of which the President was, and perhaps is, and will continue to be, the Chairman. Again Article 361 does not bar civil cases against the President; it actually permits it.
So, even though she is the President of India, Pratibha can be proceeded against for recovery of funds allegedly defrauded by her family by her acts of breach of trust in the bank and in the sugar mill and also for recovery of MPLAD funds she had squandered into her husband's coffers.
Can the new incumbent of the office of the President of India speak of probity and integrity in her address to the nation on the
Republic Day or in her annual Presidential address to the Parliament?
This does not exhaust the unenviable record of our new President, but this is sufficient to show how her sponsors and supporters cannot feel proud about her and may be even have to regret their short-sighted decision to persist with her candidature. The UPA may attempt to save the high office from Pratibha Patil's misdeeds and may even manipulate and close the cases against her but that is bound to throw more dirt on the high office.
Now come to the media.
Sections of the media that sought respectability for themselves by refusing to utter one word about the disgraceful record of the Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil have, after the election, begun regretting that the choice of Pratibha Patil for the high office.
They are now forced to accept the hard and disgusting facts about Pratibha but after patting themselves for not being part of
'the smear campaign' and allowing her election as President. Their post facto admission of Pratibha's inelegant record damages
President Pratibha Patil's moral authority more than the damage that campaign by other media did to the presidential candidate Pratibha Patil.
The media that carried the facts about Pratibha before her election only exposed the candidate Pratibha. But the acceptance of the dubious record of Pratibha, after her election, by those who refused to talk about it before, has actually exposed the high office of the President of India.

This is far more damaging to the dignity and moral authority of the high office of the President of India than the 'smear campaign'
which damaged only the presidential candidate Pratibha. Thus, it is not those who exposed the candidature of Pratibha who had dented the moral authority of the presidential office, but it is those who concealed the uncomfortable facts about her and aided in election of such a candidate as the President who have bankrupted the high office of moral stature.

In sum, Pratibha Patil is the President of India yes, but without the only authority that the incumbent of high office needs,
namely, the moral authority to function in that office.
Post Script:
Morally NDA too must share the blame for allowing the UPA to get Pratibha Patil elected and mess up the high constitutional office.
Had the NDA been more insistent upon Abdul Kalam after the Third Front had got him to think about contesting and persuaded him he might well have entered the fray. Had that happened, the story might well have been different.
Result:
the NDA faces a politically hostile President and the nation suffers a morally unacceptable one.

Just wait till the next federal polls - it would get even murkier. speculation is Mayawati is putting the field in place to become the PM in 2009 as no party is expected to gain majority. If Mayawati becomes the PM there would be a common "moral" ground for both - the Prez as well as the PM! Imagine the kind of moron's who would be calling the shots

BTW - NDA & Third Front never had the numbers even if they agreed on a candidate & both Congress & Left had issues to settle with APJK so he stood no chance to get reelected.

Apart from the offices of President and that of the PM, that of the Election Commissioner is also said to be "neutralised", in electing Mr.Chawla as the Chief Election Commissioner. Mr.Abdul Kalam being the missile scientist and privy to many defence secrets, was hesistant in swearing in Ms. Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister and thus paid the price for not getting a second term though most right thinking persons would have liked to have him continue as President. It is really curse on the nation that the Congress party, formed from Servants of India Society in 1880s, should now be Servants of Nehru Family Society.

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