07-28-2008, 11:41 PM
Does a nation like India need a Prime Minister like Manmohan?
Here is a chosen (not elected) Prime Minister, who doesn't have the capacity to control his cabinet ministers (both his own party men & allies), apart from being subservient to his 'party president', who is neither accountable nor responsible, but, powerful. He has shown on many occasions his incapacity to take decisions making a pathetic display of Prime Ministership. Does a nation like India need a Prime Minister like Manmohan?
In the aftermath of the tainted victory over a disgraceful confidence motion plagued with votes of 'mistrust' and miserably losing his carefully groomed 'honest' image, he has lost his moral authority to continue in office. He will not quit at the fifth year in office, for only honest persons will value morality, but he must realise that he is at the end of his political career. The nation has closed its doors.
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In his reply to the marathon debate on the confidence motion moved by him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said, 'Adwani has chosen to use all manner of abusive adjectives to describe my performance. He has described me as the weakest Prime Minister, a nikamma Prime Minister, and of having devalued the office of Prime Minister. To fulfill his ambitions, he has made at least three attempts to topple our government. But on each occasion, his astrologers have misled him. This pattern, I am sure, will be repeated today. At this ripe old age I do not expect Adwani to change his thinking. But for his sake and India's sake, I urge him to at least change his astrologers so that he gets more accurate predictions of things to come'.
This sounds not so much as defiant riposte but as desperate rhetoric of a man looking to clutch at the straws of a career that is petering out tamely. If a responsible Prime Minister functions without authority and leadership, it is quite natural for the opponents to call him weak and that was what Adwani did and there was nothing 'abusive' in his language at all. Instead of replying to Advani's pointed charges, Manmohan in a maladroit response said, 'Can our nation forgive a Home Minister who slept when the terrorists were knocking at the doors of parliament? Can our nation forgive a person who single-handedly provided the inspiration for the destruction of the Babri Masjid with all the terrible consequences that followed?'
It is amusing that the Prime Minister himself has failed to introspect before charging Adwani. Can a nation forgive a Prime Minister who loses sleep on seeing the plight of terrorists and their families? Can a nation forgive a Prime Minister who doesn't loose sleep on seeing the plight of terror victims and their families? Can a nation forgive a Prime Minister who delays the hanging of the dreaded terrorist who master minded the parliament attack in which a dozen security personnel have been killed? Can a nation forgive a Prime Minister, who sticks to a party, which massacred more than three thousand people belonging to his own community?
Training his guns on the Left, he has said, 'they wanted me to behave a like a bonded slave'. Very true! How dare the Left want him to be their slave, when he is already bonded to his party president? But, the Left has called him a 'blatant liar' and its criticism of Manmohan is more vociferous than the BJP's! As he has won the confidence motion through deceitful means and lost the trust of the nation, it is imperative for the general public to retrospect the last four years of his governance right from the day he was 'chosen' for this job.
After becoming Prime Minister in June 2004, he had said that he was indebted to his Party President and thanked her for providing him with an opportunity to serve as PM. Then during the press conference after completing one full year in office, he said, 'I will give 60% marks for my performance and for that performance, Soniaji has been my source of strength'. What an 'incredible' statement from such an experienced & qualified person!
In the last four years, the nation has seen many instances, where in, things have happened without the knowledge & consent of Manmohan, and in many other instances he had remained as a silent spectator watching his cabinet colleagues both from his own party & the alliance parties, going ahead with their own agendas of governance.
Many events have unfolded and many things have happened in the last four years showcasing his lack of authority, control and decision-making. The dismissals of Goa, Jarkhand & Bihar governments have happened at the behest of his party boss. The attempt for a Muslim Head count in the armed forces, Reservations for Muslims on religious grounds, IMDT Act in Assam, also fell in the same category.
Minority status for AMU and reservation for OBCs in elite institutions have happened because of the self-styled champion of social justice Arjun Singh, who earned the adage 'Human Resources Destructions' Minister. The Prime Minister, who rightly formed the unique 'National Knowledge Commission', could not deal with the maverick Arjun singh, which caused the resignation of a few good and efficient people from NKC defeating its very purpose of formation.
In the ugly 'Quattrocchi' episode, Manmohan, who is also in charge of CBI, was not even aware of the visit of a CBI officer to London to facilitate the de-freezing of Q's bank accounts as per the arrangement of the Law Minister Baradwaj on the instructions of the Congress President. Then in the infamous Volcker report episode, he gave a 'clean chit' to Natwar Singh initially, without knowing the intention of his party boss to make Natwar a scapegoat, which ultimately resulted in Natwar's quitting from the party itself.
All the above-said episodes along with the Office of Profit issue, Sehtusamudram Ship Channel Project and Amarnath Land dispute, etc. etc. have become dreadful exhibitions of subversion of Constitution and abuse of power through Ministries of Law, External Affairs & Defense, which are proof incriminating enough, not only for his weakness, but also for his 'other' side.
He has not exercised his authority even once and he has never projected himself as a 'decision maker'. The whole country knows that the office of the PM had lost its dignity, respect & honour, the day he was 'chosen' to head it and the day he said that Sonia was his source of strength. Notwithstanding his subordination to Sonia, he has always been bullied by the Left front on one side and the other allies like DMK, RJD, PMK & others on the other side. He could not have his own prerogative even for the appointment of his own cabinet colleagues. His cabinet has been 'decorated' with political novices, criminals & criminals' spouses to the extent that a minister has been awarded life imprisonment for murder!
In the aftermath of every terror attack, he had said 'I strongly condemn this act of cowardice and we will not allow the terrorists to destabilise this country and the government cannot be cowed down by such terror attacks. I appeal to the people to stand united and defeat the communal designs of the terror elements'. The terror attacks are continuing and his statements too, the latest being the serial blasts in Bangalore. Immediately after the Malegon blasts, while on board the flight to Havana, he had said, 'The role of Hindu fundamentalists cannot be ruled out', but finally ate humble pies when the involvement of Islamic terrorists was proved later.
Then, after the (in)famous hand shake with Pakistan President Musharaf in Havana, he said, 'Pakistan also being a victim of terrorism, we have agreed to have a joint terror mechanism'. Since then more terror attacks have happened on our soil, but the so-called 'joint-terror mechanism' is not to be seen at all. He had never lost his sleep on the plights of the families of terror victims, but he had lost sleep for the family of terror suspects. Even as the terror attacks are continuing unabatedly, as evidenced by the latest Bangalore serial blasts, he could not do anything concerning Home Minister and his ministry, as he was directly reporting to the party boss superseding the Prime Minister. So much for his government's deftness in handling terrorism!
While accepting the Doctorate from Cambridge University, he appreciated the British for their Rule over India, a remark no patriotic Indian could digest! In course of the government's minority appeasement policies, he said that Muslims have the first claim on our resources and they would get priority in getting loans from banks, exhibiting his utmost contempt for the Hindu majority, which constitutes almost 85% of this great nation. He also said that the Madarasas would be modernized and special schools for girls would be started in Muslim dominated areas. None of his predecessors have taken such audacious and divisive initiatives!
Recently in reply to BJP's charge that he was a 'weak' Prime minister, he had said, 'The BJP wishes for my early death. They didn't even believe that I would last as PM and some leaders even did 'havans' that I should die on a certain day'. How childish!
Despite being a renowned economist, in his four years of tenure he has not done anything remarkable in the economic front too. The Sensex has experienced heavy upheavals quite often due to the manipulation of a few people through 'participatory notes' and 'hedge funds' resulting in looting of Indian money by foreign companies and individuals. While the farmers are committing suicides in thousands and selling their cattle in millions nothing constructive has been done to improve their pathetic conditions, but instead, their loans have been waived to the tune Rs.70, 000 crores emptying the treasury. The agricultural minister has been busier with his cricket schedules as the President of the BCCI than with his agriculture ministry, and as he was a strong ally, the Prime Minister couldn't have a control over him.
Along with the Finance Minister and the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, both of whom are supposed to be financial wizards, he has led the country to near collapse in the economic front. The inflation has been the highest ever and is expected to increase further and the skyrocketing of the prices of essential commodities has made the poor and middle class to suffer in silence. With regards to internal security, the less said the better.
Here again the Home Minister is directly reporting to the party boss and the PM has no control over him. This has been the scenario with almost all ministries.
Here is a chosen (not elected) Prime Minister, who doesn't have the capacity to control his cabinet ministers (both his own party men & allies), apart from being subservient to his 'party president', who is neither accountable nor responsible, but, powerful. He has shown on many occasions his incapacity to take decisions making a pathetic display of Prime Ministership. Does a nation like India need a Prime Minister like Manmohan?
In the aftermath of the tainted victory over a disgraceful confidence motion plagued with votes of 'mistrust' and miserably losing his carefully groomed 'honest' image, he has lost his moral authority to continue in office. He will not quit at the fifth year in office, for only honest persons will value morality, but he must realise that he is at the end of his political career. The nation has closed its doors.