The Great Indian Robbery

Let me clear at the very outset, I HAD great respect for the PM, Manmohan Singh. I believed and trusted the CEO-Chairman relationship between him and Mrs. Gandhi. I thought that even though he is not a great statesman like Vajpayee, atleast he is professional who knows that he has to deliver and deliver within certain timeframe. He started well, and even though his boat was occasionally rocked by Left, the duo managed to sail smoothly.

Things started going in rough weather : privatization drive nearly died down, infrastructure development activities started lagging and halted routinely, agricultural sector continued to be ignored, terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir and Naxalite activities in almost whole India continued unabated (when Government was busy giving us statistics over how these activities have come down actually) , prices rose like Sensex does (the only difference is that prices never crash like hell). But the government continued its honeymoon period! Left Parties were blamed for anything and everything! I still respected the PM!

But instances in past one month or so, have made me rethink. First the increased quota issue. I think that PM in his heart knows that this move is going to set India back by a decade atleast, in the field of higher education and technology areas. But he is helpless. He can't muster up courage to speak up against his own partymen and colleagues and the leaders (do they deserve to be called leaders actually?) of his coalition supporters. He must have been in a fix becuase his own very special men in National Knowledge Commission have resigned over this issue!

And to be very honest, this is one of the reasons I don't respect him anymore. I had envisioned him as a visionary. A real technocrat who has the understandings of things. I understand that it is the politics that is making him do these things, but I think he would have won more supporters had he initiated a debate over need and efficacy of the reservation. He could even have become a "martyr" like Mrs. Gandhi! But maybe it's too demanding. After all you don't get to become PM of India everyday.

Second is his behavior in Kashmir Round Table conference. Hurriyat Conference openly insulted him and all Indians by first demanding a high level talk and then refusing to attend it, calling the senior political leaders there 'a group of Hypocrites'. I understand that at times you should keep quiet for the sake of diplomacy but I can't support that PM says 'We hope Hurriyat will join us at the right time'! Sorry Boss.That's plain spine-less behavior.

Now you get why I said in the beginning, I HAD respect for the PM,Manmohan Singh.