People don’t want another Manmohan Singh
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley hit the nail on the head when he said that the coming lok Sabha election will be a referendum on the kind of leadership the country needs. All the issues over which the Congress-led UPA Government is in the dock, whether it be lack of policy direction or the multiple scams, stem from a weak leadership which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given the country. Mr Singh also has a fragile hold over his ministerial colleagues who appear to be making hay while the Prime Minister's glow fades. The dual-power centre which commentators often talk about is a direct outcome of Mr Singh's supine nature. That the Prime Minister is not the master of his Government and is only too glad to cede authority is evident from his recent remark that he would be “happy” to work “under Mr Rahul Gandhi's leadership” in the Congress. If Congress president Sonia Gandhi is seen as controlling the levers of power in the party, it's understandable. But when she commands the final say even in Government matters, the people have a right to be upset and angry over the devaluation of the authority of the Prime Minister's office. From all accounts, Mr Singh has been no more than a rubber stamp of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and has tainted the office he holds. People who sympathise with him argue that he should not be blamed for the mess that the country's economy is in and for the many other omissions and commissions of the regime, because there are others who control the affairs. That is precisely the point: How can the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy allow such transgressionsIJ As the head of the Government, he is answerable to the people. He cannot turn around and pin the blame on the dark shadows that remote-control his regime, nor can he grumble about the “compulsions” of coalition politics for the wrongs that his regime has done. If Mr Singh is unable to develop spine, he might as well vacate the position for someone more capable, resolute and with the courage of conviction.
Mr Singh is subservient because he is a rootless wonder. He has not won a lok Sabha election. He was hoisted as Prime Minister by Ms Gandhi. Having got the high post on a platter, first in 2004 and again in 2009. Mr Singh has remained deeply indebted to the Congress president and her family ever since. While the gratitude is understandable, it has unfortunately adversely impacted his conduct as Prime Minister. He has over the years compromised both the credibility and the dignity of the office. In his initial blundering days when his conduct was still forgiveable, he was irritating as a pebble in the shoe; now that pebble has turned into a big stone.
Given the grim situation, the people are naturally poised to veer away from him and his Government and look forward to a leader with proven skills of governance. They are unwilling to trust a person who is not his own man and whose authority is constantly challenged. Nor do they want a leader who talks of dreams but has no inkling of how to realise those dreams. Therefore, this parliamentary election could indeed be a quasi-presidential one, where the prime ministerial face can swing to a large extent a party's prospects either way.