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| Manmohan needs to shun helplessness | | | If there had been any doubt about the helplessness of India's Prime Minister, who heads the Congress led coalition Government in the centre,it was removed by none other than Manmohan Singh himself the other day. During his 70-minute interaction with editors of different electronic news channels in New Delhi Manmohan Singh admitted weaknesses in governance. He gave an indication of his helplessness when he talked of ethical deficit and wanted the quality of governance to be improved. This indicated that Manmohan Singh is fully aware of the weaknesses in governance but seems to commit himself to improving the system and pattern of governance. He has also announced his resolve to see that wrongdoers "will not escape this time."This means that those involved in scams will be punished. This very commitment indicates that Manmohan Singh has decided to be firm and shun the image of a weak prime Minister. What seems to have given Manmohan Singh some credit is his resolve to complete "unfinished business" and is not in a mood to give up halfway but plans to stay as head of the Government till he is able to fulfill all the tasks. Since various scams have hit the nation Manmohan Singh is being blamed for being a weak leader and a weaker Prime Minister making him unable to assert his authority while fighting corruption,price rise and indiscipline.
But the other side of the Prime Minister seems to have been ignored.He, himself,has claimed that he has taken several decisions and out of 10 decisions seven have been correct. Mark his sincerity and truthfulness when he informs the Editors that he has never remained unaware of his responsibility. He has been aware of it even if he has committed some mistakes he has not been that big a culprit as is being made out. He also made another disclosure when he said that he did not feel he had the authority to object to A Raja's berth in the cabinet even when complaints against him were coming. This very statement has irked the opposition, especially the BJP.The BJP leaders have stated that the theme of the press meet showed Manmohan Singh's helplessness. The BJP Chief,Nitin Gadkari,has said that the coalition dharma cannot mean support for corruption. He has posed a question. Is coalition related to only 2G scam? What is the relation between the coalition and ISRO,commonwealth Games and Adarsh colony cases ?The leftists have countered saying that on two vital issues confronting the nation,that is corruption and price rise,the Prime Minister has virtually thrown up his hands saying nothing much can be done.But Manmohan Singh has stood to his ground when he said that he was not afraid of appearing before any committee be it the JPC or the PAC.He has added that a wrong impression has been created by the opposition that as Prime Minister he was blocking agreement about a JPC probe in the 2G scam.
Even though Manmohan Singh heads a coalition Government he should not have felt a helpless creature while taking some tough decisions. As head of the Government it was his prerogative to induct A or B in his cabinet but he has, himself, talked of compromises he had to make whether it was selecting faces for cabinet induction or for controlling the scams. He has said that even while inducting A Raja in the cabinet, despite complaints against him, his hands had been tied by coalition dharma. One wishes to ask Manmohan that he should have opted for quitting as Prime Minister instead of making compromises. But Manmohan Singh has himself answered this question when he told the media that he had to bear a lot as the country cannot afford to have the luxury of going to the polls after every six months. This way Manmohan Singh has preferred to sacrifice governance, his bid to fight price rise and corruption, for the sake of survival of the coalition Government. That Manmohan Singh is a man of honesty and integrity there can be no difference of opinion. But compromising on corruption by allowing the corrupt people to occupy ministerial posts is itself indicative of not only Manmohan Singh's helplessness and infirmity as the Prime Minister but also his abetment, though indirectly,to corruption. He is honest but allowed others to resort to corrupt practices. India has entered a phase in which coalition Government in the centre and in the states have become a reality or a sort of political compulsion. But if a man like Prime Minister exhibits himself as a helpless entity because of the pulls and pressures of the coalition dharma it may defeat the very purpose of coalition Governments.Manmohan Singh's image would have soared to new heights had he resigned after making it clear that the compulsions he has been under the coalition rule would not allow him to take decisions against the corrupt and on improving governance. Now that Manmohan Singh has not resigned or threatened to resign it would be difficult even for his admirers to treat him as innocent as a lamb. Mere display of helplessness will not help Manmohan Singh to retain his image as a clean and honest man.It is now his duty to act and assert his authority and not allow either the UPA chairperson,Sonia Gandhi,or any other coalition partner to dictate terms to the Prime Minister.There is still enough time for
Manmohan Singh to regain whatever he has lost so that people are convinced about his being a well intentioned and a clean politician.(eom)
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