{"id":5434,"date":"2007-06-27T14:42:00","date_gmt":"2007-06-27T09:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indiauncut.com\/?p=1264"},"modified":"2007-06-27T14:42:00","modified_gmt":"2007-06-27T09:12:00","slug":"why-pratibha-patil-should-not-be-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiauncut.com\/why-pratibha-patil-should-not-be-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Pratibha Patil should not be president"},"content":{"rendered":"
I had mentioned my misgivings about Pratibha Patil in a post yesterday (“Wretched”<\/a>), and today, while I was too busy in the morning to blog, as many as eight readers wrote in to point me to this bizarre news<\/a> about the lady:<\/p>\n Close on the heels of the veil controversy, United Progressive Alliance-Left presidential nominee Pratibha Patil has kicked up another row having claimed that she had a ‘divine premonition’ of greater responsibility coming her way after speaking to a late spiritual guru.<\/p>\n “I had a pleasant experience,” Patil told a gathering in Mt Abu in February recounting her meeting with the head of Brahma Kumaris World Spritual University, Hridaymohini, also popularly known as ‘dadiji.’<\/p>\n “Dadiji ke shareer mein baba aye<\/i> (Baba came in Dadiji’s body),” she said. Her reference was to Dada Lekhraj who founded Brahma Kumari sect. Lekhraj died in 1969.<\/p>\n Patil claimed the late Baba spoke to her indicating that she should be prepared to shoulder greater responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Haysoos! So now we will have a president who can speak to spirits. But there is more reason to worry about Patil than just the likelihood that she is delusional. Here’s a list:<\/p>\n 1] She supported Indira Gandhi during and after the emergency, and once made a statement<\/a> as health minister:<\/p>\n We are also thinking of forcible sterilization for people with anuvaunshik ajar<\/i> (hereditary diseases).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2] She ran a bank that had its license revoked in 2003 for “alleged financial irregularities.” Among the reasons: Waivers of loans<\/a> to her relatives.<\/p>\n 3] A sugar factory started by her allegedly defaulted on a loan<\/a> of Rs 17.70 crore. It’s only fair to ask: Where did the money go?<\/p>\n 4] Her knowledge of history is severely flawed<\/a>, almost simplistically so. (She did provide us with the ironic image of a woman with her head covered asking for the abolition of the purdah. Heh!)<\/p>\n 5] There are allegations against her<\/a> that she protected her brother from a murder charge.<\/p>\n There’s more on the subject from Nitin Pai<\/a> and Yossarin<\/a>. Nitin also urges us<\/a> to put up a banner on our websites asking for answers to all these allegations: I’m carrying it below, and if you want to as well, you can pick it up from here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Given the gravity of these charges, I think it is reasonable to ask for at least an explanation before she becomes president. And an apology for her role during the emergency. No?<\/p>\n Update<\/b>: On the subject of Patil’s nomination, do read my piece “The Politics of Division.”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I had mentioned my misgivings about Pratibha Patil in a post yesterday (“Wretched”<\/a>), and today, while I was too busy in the morning to blog, as many as eight readers wrote in to point me to this bizarre news<\/a> about the lady:<\/p>\n Close on the heels of the veil controversy, United Progressive Alliance-Left presidential nominee Pratibha Patil has kicked up another row having claimed that she had a ‘divine premonition’ of greater responsibility coming her way after speaking to a late spiritual guru.<\/p>\n “I had a pleasant experience,” Patil told a gathering in Mt Abu in February recounting her meeting with the head of Brahma Kumaris World Spritual University, Hridaymohini, also popularly known as ‘dadiji.’<\/p>\n “Dadiji ke shareer mein baba aye<\/i> (Baba came in Dadiji’s body),” she said. Her reference was to Dada Lekhraj who founded Brahma Kumari sect. Lekhraj died in 1969.<\/p>\n Patil claimed the late Baba spoke to her indicating that she should be prepared to shoulder greater responsibility.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Haysoos! So now we will have a president who can speak to spirits. But there is more reason to worry about Patil than just the likelihood that she is delusional. Here’s a list:<\/p>\n 1] She supported Indira Gandhi during and after the emergency, and once made a statement<\/a> as health minister:<\/p>\n We are also thinking of forcible sterilization for people with anuvaunshik ajar<\/i> (hereditary diseases).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n 2] She ran a bank that had its license revoked in 2003 for “alleged financial irregularities.” Among the reasons: Waivers of loans<\/a> to her relatives.<\/p>\n 3] A sugar factory started by her allegedly defaulted on a loan<\/a> of Rs 17.70 crore. It’s only fair to ask: Where did the money go?<\/p>\n 4] Her knowledge of history is severely flawed<\/a>, almost simplistically so. (She did provide us with the ironic image of a woman with her head covered asking for the abolition of the purdah. Heh!)<\/p>\n 5] There are allegations against her<\/a> that she protected her brother from a murder charge.<\/p>\n There’s more on the subject from Nitin Pai<\/a> and Yossarin<\/a>. Nitin also urges us<\/a> to put up a banner on our websites asking for answers to all these allegations: I’m carrying it below, and if you want to as well, you can pick it up from here<\/a>.<\/p>\n [image]<\/p>\n Given the gravity of these charges, I think it is reasonable to ask for at least an explanation before she becomes president. And an apology for her role during the emergency. No?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,15,4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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