Man Mohan and Lal Krishna
Posted : April 12, 2009 at 4:02 pm [IST]
Man Mohan Singh did a wonderful job as Finance Minister. He changed the course of the country’s economy. And as a result, India is today one of the emerging global economy that can no more be overlooked. One can’t but give credit of that to Man Mohan. However, I still doubt what could have he achieved without the solid support from the then Prime Minister? Unfortunately the same country doesn’t remember that Prime Minister. To a certain extent, it is because of the first family of the country that doesn’t want any credit of good work done to go to any one else but to those belonging to Gandhi-Nehru family. That Prime Minister is today only known for his unscrupulously manipulated majority for survival in the parliament with money to four S/T MPs from a backward state.
Sonia must get the credit to experiment something new in India in 2004. She nominated Man Mohan as Prime Minister. The opposition kept on calling Man Mohan a weak Prime Minster.
Man Mohan Singh was honest and great ‘wise’ professional and could be better called CEO rather than Prime Minister. He never even tried to become politician Prime Minister. Sonia visibly gave all the support but naturally, it never appeared that Man Mohan was free to act all on his own as Prime Minister either in selection of cabinet or appointment of governors or heads of various government appointed commissions or while imposing President’s rule in some states.
If Sonia would have wished and tried Man Mohan could have been elected from some safe seat of Congress. It would have improved his image. His recent reasoning in favour of his being prime minister as member of Rajya Sabha didn’t sound right: “Advani has to amend the Constitution to ensure that his wishes prevail. Indira Gandhi had been one for one-and-a-half years; H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral too.” Indira would not been named along with Deve Gowda and Gujral. Indira was certainly a great mass leader.
However, the country expected from Man Mohan a better performance from his government. He failed there too. Man Mohan did hardly contribute anything to see that the government machinery start implementing the projects in time. Roads projects stalled. Power remained a mirage. PDS reached pathetic level of inefficiency. Man Mohan could not take effective action against corruption and the failing ministers. Man Mohan could have done better on administrative reforms.
Sonia decided to make Man Mohan the Prime Ministerial candidate of UPA for election 2009 hesitatingly and pretty late too. Unfortunately he had to undergo surgery for heart. I think on his own he would not have liked to remain the Prime Ministerial candidate in this election but with no alternative, Sonia pressed him to accept. Man Mohan can’t go against the wishes of Sonia. That is one single reason that he got Prime Minister’s job in preference to Pranab Mukherji. And I think Rahul will take over sooner than expected if Congress led government comes at the centre.
Advani is a natural leader with grassroots’ contacts that must be a necessity for the post of the Prime Minister. He is at least one of the few who have brought BJP where it is there today as one of two national political parties.
I am sure Man Mohan may take the credit of Indo-US Nuclear Deal, but he should not assume that in his absence it wouldn’t have happened. The worst is the way Man Mohan and Congress is misguiding the illiterate people about the Deal as the solution to power problem of the country. None of the nuclear power plants under the Deal would come up during the next 5-10 years with the efficiency with which the government projects are executed. The treaty was good for many other reasons that are more important for the nation. The people would have been told about that.
Prime Minister’s reply to Advani’s reiteration in Buxar of his being a “weak” is as follows:
“Kamzor ya strong judge karne ke liye zor zor se baatein karne se nahin hota (Loud words don’t prove you are strong). Using harsh language does not solve any problem.”
“I am not used to abusive language. That is the culture inherited from parents, from teachers and the concept of what Indianness is.”
“I can’t match Advaniji in public speaking or asserting things. I am not a good speaker, but I take decisions.”
“I am not a weak Prime Minister. We sent commandos to fight terrorists in Mumbai, unlike the BJP, which sent its external affairs minister to surrender at Kandahar.”
“The BJP has not allowed Parliament to function. Now Advani wants to come and debate with me. I don’t want to give him the privilege that he is an alternative Prime Minister.”
“Advani’s economic policy would make the country bankrupt because it lacked vision.”
Man Mohan wouldn’t have said that. NDA left the country economically pretty strong in 2004. Instead of answering Advani on the Indian money stashed in Swiss banks, Man Mohan referred to economist Ashok Desai’s column in The Telegraph. Perhaps Man Mohan would have spoken out his mind. The revelation of Man Mohan Singh’s contemplation for stepping down as Prime Minister if the Indo-US nuclear deal fell through was certainly in bad taste.
Under these circumstances, there is no point in having a debate between Advani and Man Mohan. The country expects to see a serious debate between Advani and Sonia, or between Advani and Sarad Pawar, if he dreams of becoming a Maratha not Indian Prime Minister, or between Advani and Karat, as it seems now the leftists too have the ambition to head the government
PS: Please note, ‘Rahul is PM material, says sister Priyanka’
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
Leave a Comment