30 June, 2007

AB Bardhan defends Pratibha Patil

Or at least he tries. Of all the charges against Pratibha Patil that I’d outlined in my post, “Why Pratibha Patil should not be president”, the one that shocked me post was the statement she made during the emergency on forced sterilization. Karan Thapar quizzed AB Bardhan on that:

Karan Thapar: Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly as health minister on December 10, 1975, Mrs Pratibha Patil said we are thinking of forcible sterilisation of people with hereditary diseases. First of all, do you approve of forcible sterilization?

AB Bardhan: I don’t, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything she does or says.

Karan Thapar: Let’s explore this a little further. People with hereditary diseases include people with heart disorders, diabetes, should such people be forcibly sterilised?

AB Bardhan: I don’t think there should be forcible sterilisation of at any stage

Karan Thapar: So, you completely disagree with her?

AB Bardhan: I disagreed with this whole policy of Congress at one stage

Karan Thapar: Then how come such a woman who said this in the assembly - it is recorded in the assembly records - is your nominee for President?

Heh. Nominating Pratibha Patil for president exposes the hypocrisy of the Left, which tries to take the moral high ground on so many issues. Where is their sanctimony and self-righteousness now? After they correctly scuttled the candidacy of Shivraj Patil because he believed in Sai Baba, they supported someone who claims to speak to spirits and believes in astrology. It’s all about politics, not principle.

In more news, Patil comes forward with a bizarre explanation of her purdah comment (link via email from Confused), and India Today informs us (subscription link) that Patil “managed the kitchen in Indira Gandhi’s house when her son Sanjay had died.” I’m sure her puran poli must be delicious.

(Previous posts on Pratibha Patil: 1, 2, 3, 4.)