The sheen is wearing off Mr. Prime Minister..
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will return from the US tomorrow only to find his govt. in a mess. Much like his party chief Sonia must have found after she returned from her surgery.
At that time, it was Anna Hazare’s movement for the Jan Lokpal. This time, it’s the storm generated by the unannounced tug of war between his no. 2 Pranab and no. 3 Chidambaram.
Fresh evidence thru RTI shows that A. Raja’s manipulations over 2G spectrum were known to Chidambaram and that he could have stemmed the rot had he wanted – but he did not..
If the Prime Minister knew and yet did nothing – then he did nothing at the specific instructions of someone more powerful than him in the UPA.
As per our Constitution, the final political authority rests with the Prime Minister. As head of the union cabinet, he bears collective responsibility. The UPA government has violated this constitutional principle by allowing an extra-constitutional authority – UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi , thru the NAC – a tacit veto over policymaking.
We have time and again seen the PM’s authority being diminished and this is partly responsible for the scams – ranging from 2G spectrum to CWG – that have blighted the UPA government. If you run a fundamentally flawed leadership system, that system will sooner or later get you.
In a democracy, the person who wields responsibility and authority must be accountable. In the UPA government, Manmohan Singh bears absolute accountability without absolute power. Sonia Gandhi wields absolute power without absolute accountability or responsibility.
What a mockery of governance are they making.
In CWG, inspite of 3 Sports Ministers whistle blowing, MMS says he believed in Kalmadi and in hindsight, it was an error. In 2G he says he had objected but Raja did not listen, in CVC, Sushma Swaraj had dissented but he and Chidu went ahead and put their foot in the mouth, on rising prices and inflation he says its a global phenomenon, on distributing rotting/ waste foodgrains free to the poor, he says not possible, in votes for cash he pleads total ignorance, when now Chidu is cornered in 2G, he says that Chidu enjoys his full faith and inspite of all this he has the temerity to tell Parliament that he is not all that bad and mistakes may have happened but his intentions were good.
Wah re Manmohan Singh.
Dr. Singh had two choices these past seven years. The first was to accept the present arrangement and take the blame for all that goes wrong (2G spectrum, CWG, inflation, generalized corruption) while the party takes credit for all that goes right. The second was to resign. The Prime Minister chose the first option.
Dr. Singh was picked as Prime Minister by Sonia for two reasons. One, he has no political ambitions and no political base and no political family Two, having been a bureaucrat for most of his professional life, he is used to taking orders.
And so the arrangement, Manmohan as PM and Sonia the Chairperson of the UPA and the all powerful NAC.
And so far it has worked perfectly. Sonia has been immune to charges of corruption, mismanaging inflation, being soft on terrorism and general political drift because she could deflect the blame on to her hapless, damaged-beyond-repair Prime Minister, and shield herself by his halo of integrity.
But sadly for her, the sheen is now giving away from the Prime Minister’s façade. And A Raja can spoil the party – if not done already – for the UPA and Sonia Gandhi.
At that time, it was Anna Hazare’s movement for the Jan Lokpal. This time, it’s the storm generated by the unannounced tug of war between his no. 2 Pranab and no. 3 Chidambaram.
Fresh evidence thru RTI shows that A. Raja’s manipulations over 2G spectrum were known to Chidambaram and that he could have stemmed the rot had he wanted – but he did not..
If the Prime Minister knew and yet did nothing – then he did nothing at the specific instructions of someone more powerful than him in the UPA.
As per our Constitution, the final political authority rests with the Prime Minister. As head of the union cabinet, he bears collective responsibility. The UPA government has violated this constitutional principle by allowing an extra-constitutional authority – UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi , thru the NAC – a tacit veto over policymaking.
We have time and again seen the PM’s authority being diminished and this is partly responsible for the scams – ranging from 2G spectrum to CWG – that have blighted the UPA government. If you run a fundamentally flawed leadership system, that system will sooner or later get you.
In a democracy, the person who wields responsibility and authority must be accountable. In the UPA government, Manmohan Singh bears absolute accountability without absolute power. Sonia Gandhi wields absolute power without absolute accountability or responsibility.
What a mockery of governance are they making.
In CWG, inspite of 3 Sports Ministers whistle blowing, MMS says he believed in Kalmadi and in hindsight, it was an error. In 2G he says he had objected but Raja did not listen, in CVC, Sushma Swaraj had dissented but he and Chidu went ahead and put their foot in the mouth, on rising prices and inflation he says its a global phenomenon, on distributing rotting/ waste foodgrains free to the poor, he says not possible, in votes for cash he pleads total ignorance, when now Chidu is cornered in 2G, he says that Chidu enjoys his full faith and inspite of all this he has the temerity to tell Parliament that he is not all that bad and mistakes may have happened but his intentions were good.
Wah re Manmohan Singh.
Dr. Singh had two choices these past seven years. The first was to accept the present arrangement and take the blame for all that goes wrong (2G spectrum, CWG, inflation, generalized corruption) while the party takes credit for all that goes right. The second was to resign. The Prime Minister chose the first option.
Dr. Singh was picked as Prime Minister by Sonia for two reasons. One, he has no political ambitions and no political base and no political family Two, having been a bureaucrat for most of his professional life, he is used to taking orders.
And so the arrangement, Manmohan as PM and Sonia the Chairperson of the UPA and the all powerful NAC.
And so far it has worked perfectly. Sonia has been immune to charges of corruption, mismanaging inflation, being soft on terrorism and general political drift because she could deflect the blame on to her hapless, damaged-beyond-repair Prime Minister, and shield herself by his halo of integrity.
But sadly for her, the sheen is now giving away from the Prime Minister’s façade. And A Raja can spoil the party – if not done already – for the UPA and Sonia Gandhi.
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