Not Done Mr PM!!

Well this article explains what I wish to say very briefly. Briefly, because I wish to rant today. Congress coming into power was a choice by elimination for what BJP had conspired in Godhra.
But looks as if Congress too is on the same path.

Ok enough rant to vent frustration. Now business!

Well Manmohan Singh, quotably the hero of Gurcharan Das’s book India Unbound (Amazon link), the father of reforms has been booed down by his own siblings or let’s say masters!!
The article rightly points out instances wherein PM went weak

1. Lalu held a separate inquiry into Godhra and PM couldn’t do anything about it.


2. Opposition brushing aside Chidambaram’s Minimum wage prescription and now,


3. The decision of divestment in non-Navratna companies (which naturally takes away the excuse of this decision going against CMP). And then the revoke

But there are some more instances which the report missed and which were covered in KT’s interview. Some of the examples that we all must be remembering from media follow-ups were


4. Arjun Singh embarrassing PM by announcing that 27% reservation would be implemented in IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. PMO came out with an explanation that this was done without PM’s knowledge and even without top Congress leaders’ knowledge.


5. In AIIMS case too PM gave in to the PMK’s absurd handling of AIIMS. A bureaucrat was allowed to make absurd decisions of removing the people for bureaucratic conveniences. AIIMS autonomy is definitely undermined in throwing out a man as eminent as Venugopal unceremoniously.

The point here is not to discuss the merit-demerit of any of issues and prove that UPA made wrong decision in each case but to say that the leader they chose didn’t choose to lead but simply follow threats from other people and submit to whatever little wails they rose. I think Karan rightly put it in today’s discussion when he said that Vajpayee too dealt with RSS and VHP but he managed his way out.

True, it’s a different ball game with coalition politics, listening to everyone but then here it seems the govt. has been listening only and not making its own opinion clear. While PM has been boasting at foreign visits at how the reforms are not going to stop, he declares that he is not wedded to reforms. Although there is a slight subjectivity but to me it is lack of consistency which someone of the ranks of PM should display. And he won’t be held as Adam for doing what Eve has demonstrated during her career. I am talking about Margaret Thatcher who fought her own party against lots of investment related decisions and is being justifiably celebrated for this.

True, he has been tough on issues like petrol price hike to stop bleed oil companies. But the way he has been handled by his own colleagues and that too on public platform through media has often embarrassed him without much redress action. So in the end, not done Mr PM!!