PEOPLE, PEOPLE

NARENDRA MODI:  The Chai-wala from Mehsana, Gujrat had reached the  PM’s ‘gaddhi’ and what an accomplishment it is! Can we term the BJP getting majority to itself to rule the country, as an end to coalition politics (at least for some time)? The Indian industry is pumped up to see him in action. He could achieve what many stalwarts of BJP (who are supposed to be much higher in social order than him) could not. Surely there could be heartburns when he decides to invite his party men to join him in the Cabinet. Let us wait and see.  One suspicion on him is how he is going to appease and take the trust of Indian minority communities. They could be worried about uniform civil code, Ram temple and repealing article 370 on Kashmir etc. Knowing him, based on his performance of the past in Gujrat, one thing is certain; Narendra Modi wouldn’t be found wanting on decision making.

RAHUL GANDHI: What a whimper he turned out to be!  An abstract personality who used a queer strategy to show his connect and empathy with the poor countrymen, could not sustain the campaign which he led for the Congress Party.  With his only fame to glory being a Gandhi progeny, the man never understood the country, its people and the politics. The electorate had seen him thru finally, it seems. What a show he made, smiling to glory, addressing the Press, happily owning up the responsibility of the election debacle! Will he ever learn?  Will the country ever be saddled to bear him as its PM in future?

SONIA GANDHI: The back seat driving is over. She could relax now and look after her health. Whatever be, one should admire that the lady is sheer steel. It really takes so much of guts to be the uncrowned queen of a country where once she came in as a bride of a native. She had undergone the transformation very well. Anyone in her place could have crumbled or ran away! Not her, of course. And, surely, there is plenty to look after and the unlimited assets, movable and immovable, created by her ‘family’ preserved here and there…

PRIYANKA GANDHI: Still a stunner, she continues to be the aspiration of millions of Indians. More articulate than her brother and more connected to the masses of India, everyone felt and wanted her to be in public life, leading the fortunes of the Congress Party. It never happened that way. The country’s loss had been the gain of Vadra, someone who came out of nowhere and took her hand (and surely benefitted a lot by it). Who knows, for the Congress Party, maybe she is still the ‘reserve’. Certainly we would hear about her a lot, in time to come….

NITHISH KUMAR : As one of the Socialist thinker and follower of Jayaprakash Narain, his early political life was that of a vagabond dreamer leader. He led an uneventful life until he met his mentor Mr George Fernandez under whose tutelage he sprung up to become a visionary Railway minister of the country and with that reputation, as the progressive Chief Minister of Bihar, one the most backward of Indian States. There too he did wonders to take the state out of the clutches of Lalu Yadav’s corrupt legacy. Ambition took the better of him (he nursed strong hopes being the leader of the nation one day) and that led to his ‘fights’ with Narendra Modi and finally that led to his nemesis. Will we hear about him again? Being from a state called Bihar, it is unlikely……

RUSSI MODY: He was a colossus once, on whose shoulders rested the largest company of the largest business group of the nation. Until Ratan Tata took charge of the Tata Empire, he was the heavy weight of the group and mainly within the company and the group, his writ ran. When Ratan Tata came to the helm, his fall started. Someone who had ingrained with the Tata’s name so much, it must have taken huge efforts by him to erase the distress of rejection in the last phase of his life. After living up to a full life of 96 years, he bid farewell, before seeing his namesake take charge of the nation. Salutes to the Corporate doyen!

CAPTAIN KRISHNAN NAIR: A late bloomer in business, he had created some of the finest edifices of Indian hospitality, before he took his journey to the heavenly abode at the ripe age of 92. In that sphere in India, his name compares only with the Oberoi.  A person with childlike enthusiasm and full of vigor, he was positivity personified. While most of his enterprises are located outside the state of his birth (and wisely so), his love and concern for Kerala was always high.  Though seemingly he had achieved everything in his life, including rare recognition such as Padma Bhushan, one is not able to fathom as to what were the thoughts in his mind when his group has a debt of about INR 5000 Crores at the time of his death! We read that only Socrates the Greek thinker cleared all his debts before his death.

HOW WOULD YOU RATE MANMOHAN SINGH?

Sardar Manmohan Sigh became the 13^th Prime minister of India in the year 2004 (not chronologically but people wise) when his party leader Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, an Italian turned Indian and also the wife of slain former Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, refused to adorn the PM Chair after the Congress winning the election that year by deposing the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).  For a family that ruled India for 65 % of the independent era till 2004, the sacrifice of giving away the hot seat was done by ensuring a crony PM in the seat and Manmohan Singh fitted the bill very well, for he was part of no group within congress and his loyalty to the family was absolutely TOTAL.  Also, having no political base of his own (he represented the upper house of parliament as a nominated member of Assam State), he would be in no position to usurp the so called “first family” of the country.  In comparison with other PM aspirants like Pranab Mukherji, AK antony, Arjun Singh etc., the family knew that with Singh on the chair, it would have perfect control of everything;  power, position and  money

Academically brilliant, Dr Singh did his doctorate in Economics from Oxford University. After having worked in UNCTAD for two years, he came back to India to become a professor of International trade in Delhi School of Economics. Later he became a bureaucrat as an advisor to Central Minister of Trade & Commerce and thereafter, ascended to prestigious positions as the Chief Economic advisor to the Country’s Finance Minister, Governor of Reserve Bank of India and the coveted post of Deputy Chairman of Indian Planning Commission!  When Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister of India in the year 1991, he handpicked Manmohan Singh as his finance minister. The peculiarity of India’s economic position then demanded a forward thinking economist to change the financial fortunes of the country and as finance minister of India, Singh truly did wonders by opening up Indian economy and also by ensuring fastest economic growth for the nation from then on. One could easily give him full credit of bringing financial independence to Indians who otherwise languished so poorly in a closed up economy dictated by socialistic democratic (!) norms.

All the while as a minister, he was always very calm, never was part of group politics in Congress Party (for which the party is very famous) and he never blew his own trumpet. He was completely obedient to his political masters. And his integrity was unquestionable. Lo and behold, Madam Gandhi gave the hot seat away by gifting it to Manmohan Singh, knowing fully well that he would completely be loyal to the family, come what may! This consistent, dogged loyalty gave him 10 years as the Prime Minister of India. While he allowed the back seat driving pleasures to Sonia Gandhi, in his own way, he tried to grow the country. In his first term, the nation grew very well and as a result, the people rewarded the Congress to return to power after the elections for another five years. Nobody would ever refute that it is only thanks to the good governance delivered to the country that Manmohan Singh was returned to power for another term, a feat other than Nehru, no PMs could achieve, in independent India.

However, nothing went well in his second term. It is not that he became complacent but many elements worked against him. The power of coalition politics was at its best wherein the regional parties such as DMK, TMC etc. made merry.  Within his own party, a level of political polarization took place in favour of Rahul Gandhi, the son of the Congress President and he had to live with two masters than one. The Rahul Gandhi factor led to many embarrassments and humiliations to Mr Singh.  The cancer of corruption, both within Congress and the various ministries, destroyed the credibility of his rule during the second term. His own health was not at its best. The multitudes of scams never allowed the smooth functioning of the Parliament and governance went into disarray. Everything in the country needed a judicial intervention.  The people’s movements led by Anna Hazare and Kejariwal added to his agony. Practically his second term saw complete policy paralysis within the country. Its’ growth suffered, inflation grew, Rupee failed and CAD went astray.

In the last year, the Prince in waiting took control of the party and tried to fight the election with a different perspective. But the damage was already done. While writing this, the Election results are yet to be announced but it is expected that the Congress would get the worst drubbing of its existence and the NDA led by BJP is expected to ascend to power. That is where things lay as of now.

How would posterity remember Manmohan Singh ?  A weak Prime Minister or someone for whom the circumstances didn’t help to emerge as a great PM?

On the plus side, his contributions to the economic growth of the country both as FM and later as PM, will ever be remembered. As PM, he also looked at welfare of the downtrodden with great concern. Several programs such as MNREGS, Food Security Bill etc. were carved out to help the rural, unemployed, poverty stricken countrymen.  He took India to higher levels in world order (e.g. G20). His integrity and character were impeccable (something we can seldom speak about all those great personalities of the country).

On the minus side, he was tied down by the party boss and the coalition polity. There were only a few instances of him putting his foot down on policy making (e.g. Nuclear Bill). He never could wade thru the quagmire, byzantine, ever-shifting political currents around him and many times suffered in the process. His communication, bodily and orally, was never inspiring.

His is a case of a well-meaning, straight forward, brilliant academician and bureaucrat of high integrity turning out as a Destiny’s child. As a professor in DSE, he would never have thought adorning the PM’s hot seat, ever in his life. There were several provocations on him during his PM ship that would have resulted in a man of high self-esteem throw away and walk out. He was forced to eat humble pie many times. But he swallowed all of it and held on to his chair. Why, you may ask.

For an Economics professor who had come to enjoy all those frills associated with power (PM’s perquisites, foreign sojourns, position and equation with global statesmen),  Manmohan Singh would have thought to give them higher weightage than the pricking ego bashings that he had endured. I am sure, he would have taken it as occupational hazard!

Time will tell about him, wait and see………………………