Indian politics of Saddam

With electoral gains in sight, the Indian government had come down strongly on the confirmation of the death sentence on former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

The Indian government and Congress party's reaction after the confirmation of death sentence on former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was less guarded than when the sentence was first announced a couple of months ago.

While at that time, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had talked about due process of law and the fact that the sentence should not appear to be "victor's justice", this time round there has been a more forthright response.

The external affairs ministry spokesperson was quick to respond that "we hope that the sentence is not carried out and the former President's life is spared."

The change of tone and the degree of unease with the verdict displayed yesterday, according to top government sources, has been primarily an exercise in damage control.

"The vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Indo-US nuclear deal had put out a perception that the UPA government was pro-US and in favour of its middle-east policy," said a senior source in the government.

The previous tepid response was a reflection of the fact that the Indo-US civil nuclear co-operation Bill had not been concluded.

With the Uttar Pradesh elections around the corner, this is not a perception that the Congress wants or needs. The Congress' own reaction was to question the credibilty of the judicial process under which Saddam Hussein had been sentenced. "The people do not have faith in this process," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

UPA ally, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), also condemned the confirmation of the death sentence. In a strongly worded statement the party said, "The execution of the death sentence will be a form of judicial assassination. The CPM reiterates that no fair trial is possible for Saddam Hussein and his colleagues under a regime of US occupation of Iraq," said the statement.

The party also asks the Indian government to intervene and stop the execution from taking place.

The BJP on the other hand was more subdued in its reaction to the verdict.

"It is a foreign country's judicial process but the international community must ensure whether this judicial process is free and fair. The BJP sympathises with former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein," said party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

With Uttar Pradesh elections around the corner and the Sachar committee report ranged against accusations of Muslim appeasement, Saddam Hussein's trial has become a political tool not just in Iraq but in India as well.