Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did declare support to the NDA candidate for President of India only because the UPA could not come up with a name. Besides, the NDA had backed Naveen’s choice of Sangma to be pitted against Pranab Mukerjee in 2012. By the time Meira Kumar’s name came up, the irreversible decision had been taken. But when the Vice-President candidates were declared at the same time, Naveen had the opportunity to gauge quality and reliability. In the best spirit of a democratic nation, non-political and non-partisan dignitaries are considered most desirable and fittest to become President. The same spirit and principle applies for Rajya Sabha members too. But in India, the horrifically politicised statesmen do their best to place politicians in the highest posts craving for politically neutral and ethically spotless characters. Meira, a former diplomat, became a politician later. lawyer Kovind, an ‘RSS preacher’, was rewarded with political postings by being nominated to Rajya Sabha. Both were projected as Dalits to the utter confusion of lawmakers across the country who have no ideology or ethics for their choice.
Naveen keeps his outfit safe in the hands of a few knowledgeable bureaucrats who are thorough with systems and procedures on the basis of ‘rule of law’. Since the majority of elected politicians, by and large ignorant of most fundamentals of statecraft, do grab votes only by playing friend or making populist promises to the gullible voters, Naveen does not trust their stand on critical issues. Sharp, aggressively development-literate are the ones to keep him updated on all matters, tell him what is tenable in the eyes of law and guide him to quality decisions by placing before him all lawful options. Hence, the criticism by detractors that Naveen does not want to learn Odia and does not mingle with common masses. The power-politicians have been grumbling from day one that they are only rubberstamps and bureaucrats are the real masters. But not a single one has abandoned him for fear of being lost in oblivion forever. They know too well that Naveen alone has the magical ‘star power’ to attract votes.
Kovind is of course the President already. The numbers are in his favour. But when Naveen chose old time friend Gopalkrishna Gandhi for Vice-President, quite a few sections of educated society had reasons to rejoice. Gopal has been an IAS officer, a career diplomat and a highly respected Governor. He is Mahatma Gandhi’s son Devadas Gandhi’s son. His mother was C Rajagopalachari’s daughter laxmi. His pedigree and lineage are exceptionally impressive and his education and exposure are of the highest class. Gopal is also known for his civil courage. While delivering the 15th DP Kohli Memorial lecture for CBI on "Eclipse at Noon: Shadows Over India's Conscience" with nearly 3,000 officers of the agency, he noted, “The CBI is seen as the government's hatchet, rather than honesty's ally. It is often called DDT, meaning not the dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane, the insecticide it should be, but the Department of Dirty Tricks.”
In 2015, he wrote a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee to reconsider the rejection of the mercy plea of the 1993 Mumbai serial blast convict, Yakub Memon. He believed the convict deserved life as he had surrendered to cooperate with the enforcement agencies; he never ran away and kept his whole family with him in India.
Venkaiah Naidu is a rare, perfect gentleman among the BJP lot. Both as a student leader and later a political figure, he gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of farmers and development of backward areas. He has been held in very high esteem for being people-friendly and noncontroversial. He was BJP president and managed the party very well. All the same, he lacks the guts to put his foot down in case Modi or Amit Shah commits grave blunders that affect the society adversely or bring infamy to the country as one run by non-statesmen-politicians. He hardly takes stands stubbornly if that’s truly good for the people even when he is part of the executive; party interests take priority over public ones. That’s where he is likely to score lower than Gopalkrishna.
Interestingly, the salaries of the President and the Vice President have been raised three fold only because the Cabinet Secretary would draw a bigger salary as recommended by the insane Seventh Pay Commission experts. The President would draw a whopping five lakhs and the VP more than three from the poor citizens’ coffers. Modi who keeps crying for exemplary austerity to be observed at all levels merrily permitted this to be committed.
It’s to be noted that the Vice-President has quite a job to perform:
• Sending the Bill passed by both Houses for reconsideration (Excluding Money Bill and Constitutional Amendment Bill).
• Vetoing or withholding the Bill.
• Vetoing on State legislatures' Bill which are recommended by the States’ Governors for Presidential consideration.
• Appointing the new Prime Minister in case of death of thePM in office or in case of hung Parliament.
• Withholding the promulgation of the Ordinance if he feels the ordinance is of bad faith or affecting the national interest. He can seek advice from the Supreme Court to act upon his discretion when PM or any Minister loses the 'No-confidence motion'; it’s up to his discretion to dissolve the lower House or to look into an alternative Government forming while lok Sabha’s life is intact.
• Discharging the functions of the President during the President’s temporary absence due to illness or any other cause.
• Acting as the President in case of any vacancy in the office of the President by reason of his death, resignation, removal through impeachment or otherwise. He shall take over the duties of the President until a new President is elected and resumes office.
The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. When he acts as or discharges the President’s functions, he immediately ceases to perform the normal functions of being the Rajya Sabha.
Many may not know that late KR Narayanan was also a Dalit luminary who married Ma Tint Tint, a Burmese lady, who was named Usha Narayanan later.
All said, it’s of course true that Naveen Patnaik is keeping safe distance from both the national political outfits. He has his own strength intact and is never dependent on any other political patronage or support for a dignified survival. Neither the NDA nor the UPA can cause him any harm as of now. Smart that Naveen is, he knows how to run a State with people’s support by persuading them to believe what he is doing is good for all. Only days ago, he raised concern over the alleged encroachment of the Odisha Bhawan land in Delhi by a petrol pump. In a letter to Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Patnaik has urged for restoring the land, originally allotted to the Odisha Government but unlawfully leased out to a petrol pump later without even notifying to the State authorities. Odisha officials had initiated several steps to promote Odia cuisine at the national capital by putting up a decent ‘Ethnic Odia eatery’ at the Bhawan. But the space earmarked has been stolen by the petroleum guys meanwhile. And there is no remorse expressed once by the Odisha-born, Bihar-sponsored Petroleum Minister.
*lastly just to commemorate the day of man’s landing on moon this day in 1969. Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin had stepped down on to the moon-surface while Michael Collins had carefully kept guarding the spacecraft on the fateful day. For a joke, hardcore Muslims had cried out in dismay that day, “Allah, the Christians have trampled our deity! God save mankind.”