Chicken in the Army

The Italian mother of the Indian prince taught him the most inglorious lesson on 16th January by asking him not to lead from the front as a Prime Ministerial nominee in the upcoming democratic battle for power.  The worst shame for a leader is to bear the cowardice of not leading his men from the front. An English proverb says - the righteous are bold as a lion.  Another one says - do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path.  An important satirical word by the famous American comedian of the last century says -  'you can lead a man to Congress, but you can't make him think'.  Rahul Gandhi has now become history's most coward leader who would not like to lead his men from the front for the fear of loss.  A leader is not a leader if he fears loss and tries to avoid the saddle of the front horse.  He would only be a chicken in the army.

Alexander the Great was known for his enormous boldness of leading from the front.  He strode like a lion from the front even in a losing war on his campaign in Asia and once, he almost lost his life in the defeat.  But he did not concede the frontal position to anyone but himself.  He dared death and defeat by being a true leader.  

One of first lessons Byram Khan taught young Akbar was the same - to lead from the front.  Akbar stuck to this lesson throughout his life and did lead from the front, no matter what the outcome of the war would be.  His adversary - Rana Pratap was another glaring example in Indian history for being bold in being in the front.

Within the Congress party, there was never this chicken-hearted approach to an election.  Even Indira Gandhi, grand mother of Rahul led her party from the front after the emergency.  She had complete knowledge of the rout she would face in the elections, but that did not deter her from leading her men from the front.  She lost, she accepted the defeat, learnt from that a lesson for future but left behind an example for her followers that no matter what the outcome would be, a leader has to lead from the front.

Congress is now bereft of any leader of substance.  A desperate mother is trying to safeguard a slippery throne to her son and is teaching cowardice.  People, party, policies and the nation do not matter for her.  What matters to her is the career of her son.  And the partymen are ready to stay behind a chicken and the mother hen in a war that would decide the fate and fortune of the most populous democracy in the world.

V K SAXENA
PRESIDENT
National Council for Civil Liberties,
 Ahmedabad