Saturday, August 31, 2013

My 2 cents: PM's anguish in Rajya sabha


DR. MMS was justifiably right in blaming opposition for the chaos they created in parliament including shouting slogans like "PM Chor hai". No one whether it is the PM or anybody else sitting in such a august body would like to be called a Chor, that is broadcast nationally.

But whet did Dr. MMS do to enhance his authority or exhibit the control he had over his ministry and in the administration of the Govt. over the past years. He kept silent on many matters and only when ruckus was created to have his answers as the administrative head of the nation did he choose to make a brief speech.  Even such speeches were not so enthusiastic nor created any motivation. They were looking more like speeches out of compulsion rather than the speech of the PM.

(1) In 2011 he openly admitted his responsibility in choosing a tainted  person as CVC in the parliament. But where was the accountability. When you are responsible for a lapse, then the natural justice should be you are also accountable for it.

(2) In the 2G scam, he could have averted the current situation had he exercised due diligence and stopped the spectrum allocation or insisted on the proper control and procedure in the allocation.

(3) Coalgate situation is really pathetic. Yes, he cannot directly control the record keeper of the Govt and the concerned ministry is responsible for it. But why the ministry is in a such hopeless state that even it did not register a police case against the missing files, but required a SC direction to CBI to file a criminal FIR. A deputy secretary cousin have done this. More than anything else, the scam was during the period when he held the portfolio and so naturally, he is answerable. If not he, who else?

(4) The industry leaders cited "Policy paralysis" since the past 2-3 years and the govt did nothing great about it as it was more occupied in salvaging itself from the mammoth corruption charges levelled against besides trying to hold the forte by making the alliance partners happy. Now the industry leaders like Ratan Tata openly talking about the foreign investors loosing confidence in India and such talks cannot be pushed aside as rubbish as they are the people who engage with their counterpart abroad on a day to day basis. Their opinion reflect the true state and not political statements. We had Vodafone case of retro tax, and now Nokia threatening to pull out. 2G had its own casualties on account of the cancellation of already granted licenses. These kind of measures would have definitely shaken the investors' confidence in any country, leave alone India.

(5) It is such a pity that the Govt. shoots itself on its own foot by admitting the policies of 2009-11 had impact on the economic situation. And what did PM do? Was he helpless or did not have enough musscle power to overrule the then minister and steer the right course?

As extracted from an article that was published in the Business Line print edition dated May 8, 2005, in another context:

"There's lot more ground to cover, but let me wrap with this tough-to-transliterate kural 280 that frowns upon sham. "Mazhithalum neetalum venda ulagam pazhithadhu ozhithu vidin."
Pope translates it as, "What's the worth of shaven head or tresses long if you shun what all the world condemns as wrong?" Bharatiar would put it thus, "No balding nor tangling the hair! Abstain from condemned acts with care." "

Not speaking when you have to speak, speaking less when spoken and speaking things which were not warranted, all will land anyone in problem.

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