THE CASE OF BEING Dr. MANMOHAN SINGH

Our Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has now become the second longest serving PM of India after Mrs Indira Gandhi. However, he has a long way to go before he beats her. It is a feat that is almost impossible for him, considering the present geopolitical situation of India and his age.

A brilliant Economist in his hey days (do not know if it can be said of him now, for him now it is more politics than economics), he had been a Researcher, a Professor, A Bureaucrat, an Economic adviser to Minsters, later a Cabinet Minister and now the Prime Minister and he had seen it all. Many would argue that lady luck had smiled on him many number of occasions, for him to be here. There is another school of thought that he had been a compromise candidate due to his abilities of mouth-shut and non-indulgence, in addition to being a ‘yes’ man. Thanks to his discipline, back seat driving in Politics had taken deep roots in India.

He came into prominence when India had only Hobson’s choice left to economically redeem itself globally. As a financially tottering nation came into the hands of Narsingh Rao to take care in 1991 and it was Rao as PM, who chose Dr Manmohan Singh, till then a Bureaucrat and economic advisor and brought him in as the Finance Minister of India. Rest is history, the whole world will know. India opened up and ‘globalization’ came here to stay. There is argument still whether the credit of globalization should go to Dr Manmohan Singh, particularly when there was no choice left for the country. Whatever be the merit of the argument, it is a fact that he presided over India’s globalization and that grew India to its present position as a leading global economic power. If ever he has to be remembered by posterity it is this deed and there is nothing else to really write home about, for all his latest deeds had been a result of the back seat driving that happened by the power that be, and every Indian knows who it is.

One has to truly marvel this ‘humble’ soul for the discipline with which he had gone about with his Prime Minister-ship. In his case, the dictum of “power corrupts..” had been proved wrong. He stayed totally ego less, truly as a dedicated servant of the Gandhi family. Even today, a single word from madam, he would fold his ‘bori- bister’ and vacate the office instantly. This aspect of behavior, we cannot see or expect from any Congressman of India, including the cronies who form the kitchen cabinet of the madam.

So, what is happening now? Most of the ills of the country are the result of the decisions taken by the coalition ministers of the UPA-1 ministry of Dr Manmohan Singh. A person like him, however clean he is, did not have the power and the leadership to manage or control his errant ministers, particularly those who came from allied parties such as the DMK, the TMC etc. What is the situation now? Completely mired in large corruption scandals, Dr Manmohan Singh has his back to the wall. Whereas he is looking at the madam for directions, it is not clear if he is getting the full support. Ministerial colleagues like Kapil Sibal (fully) and Pranab Mukherji (to some extend) are putting their mite behind him but we see him retreating more and the helplessness is writ large on his face, howsoever emotionless it is……..

His leadership style never had the ability to manage chaos. Whilst he has been innovative in his financial policies (particularly when he was the FM), his thinking always had been that of a ‘bureaucrat’, like the servant looking at the master for directions. He neither has the courage to take strong epoch making decisions nor was he capable of correcting and leading his colleagues to the right direction. What is that he has now? Only the clean image and he is clinging to it like his dear life. But when everything around him is so dirty and when he has no guts to take strong decisions, what is the point in clinging to it? It is better for him personally to leave the chair, with whatsoever cleanliness intact.

It is here that I would like to add an observation of the personal changes that he had undergone. After his heart surgery, he is much more in distress. The physical discomfort is very evident in his acts and deeds. His body language, his voice delivery, even his emotionlessness, is clearly affected as a result of that. One really does not know if he is really enjoying the Prime Minster ship. He looks to be stuck on to it, like a reluctant husband…

Is it the country’s fortune or misfortune? Time will tell……