Rumours of Mr. Jagjivan Ram’s impending decision to quit the Janata party and to join the Congress (1) refuse to die. Every public denial by him or on his behalf is followed by fresh speculation to the same effect. Indeed, it has become difficult to find many individuals who are sure that he will stick to the Janata through thick and thin. Most of even those who are convinced that he has nothing to gain by joining Mrs. Gandhi now are inclined to take the view that he would do so after the poll in case she fails to win a majority on her own and needs his support to form a government. Perhaps all this is the result of a well-planned and well-executed war of nerves against the Janata party by its rivals, who have much to gain by spreading confusion and demoralisation among its ranks. Or perhaps Mr. Ram himself is not averse to allowing these rumours to spread so that he can strengthen his bargaining position vis-à-vis the party’s other leaders and constituents, especially the most powerful and best organised of them all, the former Jana Sangh. Or perhaps he is a victim of the widely prevalent belief that most Congressmen can again get together, produce a viable organisation and assure the country another era of stable government and orderly progress. Or perhaps nothing more than his consistent refusal to criticise Mrs. Gandhi is responsible for the relentless speculation. Or perhaps he is genuinely unhappy in what is left of the old Janata. We just do not know. But we have little doubt that, engineered or not, the persistent rumours have weakened Mr. Ram’s credibility and effectiveness as leader of the Janata.
This is not to suggest that there is a surge of bitter anger against him. There isn’t. On the contrary, not many people are shocked by the rumours. In fact, they are prepared to believe these so readily at least partly because they are not shocked by them. They have got used to sudden shifts of allegiance by politicians and have come to take it for granted that the latter are guided by nothing larger than self-interest. They may be uncharitable in some cases. For it is possible that Mr. HN Bahuguna, Mr. Brahmananda Reddi and some other ‘‘victims” of Mrs. Gandhi’s “cult of personality” are so appalled at the prospects in case she does not win a majority in the forthcoming poll that they are prepared to set aside old grievances and join her so that they can assist her and thus do their bit for the country. It is perhaps a mere accident that their return to her has coincided with the election and a pro-Indira ripple, if not a wave. If Mr. Ram joins her he will doubtless bring bigger assets with him than the others. But his assets in his present party have declined. While he may or may not be to blame for it, he will have to live with the consequences. Politics is remorseless even in a permissive atmosphere like ours.
The Times of India, 30 November 1979