Friday, June 09, 2006
Sonia Gandhi, Singh double-act makes good theatre
By Simon Denyer
Manmohan Singhâs government announces a steep rise in fuel prices. His own Congress party opposes it, and its president appeals for a partial reversal of a decision she must have been consulted over. <b>Two years into Congress-led rule in India, the Italian-born Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has created an enviable position for herself - plenty of power, but very little responsibility when things go wrong. Prime Minister Singh, by contrast, sometimes looks like a man struggling to assert his authority. âIt is a very well-thought-out strategy,â said Political Analyst Yashwant Deshmukh.</b>
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âRight from day one of this government, whatever it does which is good for the poor, it is done by the party headed by Gandhi. Whatever bad things, they are done by the government, headed by Manmohan Singh.â</b> Gandhi set herself up as champion of the âaam admiâ, or common man. But at the same time she promoted a reformist economist to act as her prime minister, conscious that the country could not turn its back on the global economy.
âShe is not anti-reform, she is pro-reform,â said Political Analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. âBut she is left-of-centre on social and cultural issues.â This weekâs nervous response by Congress to the fuel price hike is also indicative of just how damaging it could be to the party, analysts say. The economy may be growing at more than eight percent a year, but this is no guarantee of electoral success. Reuters
Sonia Gandhi, Singh double-act makes good theatre
By Simon Denyer
Manmohan Singhâs government announces a steep rise in fuel prices. His own Congress party opposes it, and its president appeals for a partial reversal of a decision she must have been consulted over. <b>Two years into Congress-led rule in India, the Italian-born Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has created an enviable position for herself - plenty of power, but very little responsibility when things go wrong. Prime Minister Singh, by contrast, sometimes looks like a man struggling to assert his authority. âIt is a very well-thought-out strategy,â said Political Analyst Yashwant Deshmukh.</b>
<b>
âRight from day one of this government, whatever it does which is good for the poor, it is done by the party headed by Gandhi. Whatever bad things, they are done by the government, headed by Manmohan Singh.â</b> Gandhi set herself up as champion of the âaam admiâ, or common man. But at the same time she promoted a reformist economist to act as her prime minister, conscious that the country could not turn its back on the global economy.
âShe is not anti-reform, she is pro-reform,â said Political Analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. âBut she is left-of-centre on social and cultural issues.â This weekâs nervous response by Congress to the fuel price hike is also indicative of just how damaging it could be to the party, analysts say. The economy may be growing at more than eight percent a year, but this is no guarantee of electoral success. Reuters