Would Mahatma Gandhi have been a political force today!

For Lead India, September 30, 2007
Leaders are a bi-product of the prevailing scenario. The question is akin to asking if Alexander the Great would have been a great conqueror today or would Chairman Mao brought about a Chinese revolution today?
Mahatma Gandhi was an astute man. He would have definitely been a major political force today; yet, I don't believe he would have taken any office. By remaining an outsider and non-aligned to any political party, he would have succeeded wielding the highest moral authority on all political parties to priorities the issues that truly concern the welfare of our democracy.
He would have read the current political climate and used his insights to come up with an appropriate strategy. I suspect that he would have taken up a cause that concerns the downtrodden masses of this country, like unequal opportunities, lack of basic education and primary health facilities. He would have championed 'inclusive' growth of the entire nation and spread his 'non-violence' and 'all religions are equal' mantras to achieve his goals.
Lea