Consensus isn't all its cracked up to be - II

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And I thought I was the cynic. President Kalam suggests he may want to stick around in office and everyone disapproves. He now says he doesn't - and there's cheering all around. Running for office, aspiring to represent our country is for power hungry politicians. Declining to stand is what our icons must do. And so President Kalam, arguably our most popular president retires from the list- pride and image, slightly hurt. And I am still left baffled at the undemocratic instincts of the world's largest democracy. Consensus, clearly is not all its cracked up to be. In a previous blog, I wrote about Kalam as a possible candidate, and what he meant to the office: "Our lovable, long-haired scientist built a lasting legacy at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Coming from the world of missiles, neutrons and protons, fission and fusion, Kalam literally broken down the barriers around....

Consensus isn't all it's cracked up to be

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Its crunch time with the presidential elections, as anyone with a television will tell you, there's a new possible candidate everyday, and the word with all the currency is Consensus. The Congress, the allies and the left chose their nominee with er.... great care - rejecting over a dozen names to finalise a non-controversial, non-ambitious, non-man. And now that they have a woman for candidate- they would like everyone to get right behind her. As a woman, they say Pratibha Patil, deserves a consensus. The NDA- had to be different, so, after announcing its candidate much quicker than the UPA, it then made Vice-President Shekhawat a non-candidate. It's President Kalam for President they now say, and all of us should get behind him. The president himself says he will only stand if there's certainty over his winning. Consensus. Technically, I am on both sides- (and it really....