Hello ? Govt. of India ? Is anybody in there ?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has done the jugglery act once again, for the second time in this year . Some cards in the ministerial pack reshuffled, no big ticket changes, no bold moves, another opportunity lost. The only by-product of this circus-act is that one minister has quit and at least two are sulking, ostensibly unable to digest their new portfolios. To what end, pray, this sleight of hand purports to serve?

I can’t help but intensely feel that this gigantic ship called India has no captain to steer it in the high seas. I mean who’s in charge really ? The gentle Dr. Singh, or the quietly assertive Smt. Sonia Gandhi ? Or is it the coalition politics determining the course of the voyage, in a classic case of tail wagging the dog ?

That Dr. Singh lacks political authority has long been suspected by many, but some recent handling of situations by the Congress-led UPA Govt. has cast a long shadow on its abilities to govern a difficult nation. Struck by the tsunamis of mega-scams like 2G and CWG, the leadership seems to be deeply weakened, so as to respond rather feebly to unfolding snags. Take the case of its pussyfooting with Anna Hazare and his ‘Civil Society’ members. Or how they pulled a fast one on Baba Ramdev’s fast. The much-delayed resignation of Dayanidhi Maran, tainted by allegations of corruption, and the controversy surrounding the quitting of the Solicitor General are also cases in point.

As ministers run amuck, flouting all rules, crossing the limits of protocol and breaching established procedures without an iota of shame or guilt, the Prime Minister gives a sorry impression of being utterly helpless. This is akin to an anarchy at its worst and an impotent leadership at its best. How did a government, voted to power by the world’s largest electorate for a second term just a couple of years back come to such a sordid pass ?

Stung by scams, hounded by the opposition and media alike and derided by the public at large, the entire Govt. machinery, including the babus, seems to have come to a grinding halt. Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC, had recently stated that big names of Indian industry are looking overseas rather than at home for their future investments, as at least ‘investing abroad is headache-free’. This is juxtaposed against the steep decline in foreign direct investment. Ominous signs, these.

As a scared and virtually paralyzed Govt. cringes at taking decisions, larger issues are allowed to rot at the desks of powers-that-be. Runaway inflation and rising interest rates have already taken a toll on the masses and threatens to stunt business growth. Infrastructure development is crawling at a woefully slow pace, which is ironical in the world’s second fastest economy, clipping at over 8% per annum. A whopping 400 million Indians still have no access to electricity, not to mention the power blackouts wherever there is electric supply. Health and education sectors are in dire need of an overhaul. While rapid urbanization is making the cities burst at their seams, rural development leaves much to be desired. Fiscal deficit continues to burgeon as the Govt. struggles to reign in its wasteful expenditures. Shall I go on ?

You get the picture, but bear with me a little more. What about the all-pervading corruption issue ? Granted no one can completely eradicate this problem, but can an honest tax-payer at least expect some steps to stem the rot ? And is anyone even bothered to look into the delays and accumulation of huge backlog of legal cases in the lower-courts, High courts and the Supreme Court of India ? Then, there have been feeble voices to get back black money stashed abroad, only to be summarily brushed aside by the Govt. or conveniently slithered away to a ‘committee’. Ok, forget about all this. Where an ordinary citizen is afraid of knocking at the doors of the police or the judiciary in times of peril, the primary function of the Govt. to secure the rights and freedom of individuals is itself defeated. No wonder cognizable crimes like murder, burglary, kidnapping, rape, illegal arms and drugs continue to rise unabated, as the law-breakers get emboldened by the premise that their acts of sin may not even get reported. Terrorism and insurgency are problems of an entirely different dimension (as I write this, serial bomb blasts have once again killed and maimed several innocents in Mumbai).

So, hello ? Will those in charge of administering the world’s largest democracy please come out of their hiding places ? We are in desperate need of some decisive action here. There’s still three years to go before we voters again set off to elect our next Govt. All that we ask for is a dose of astute leadership, a clear vision to steer India into a brighter future and ministers who go about quietly dispensing their public duties. The twelfth five-year plan is due for rolling out, key policy decisions and draft bills like the Lokpal are pending for debate and conclusion, and there’s a lot to do on social, economic and environmental development. So will you, the ruling elite, show some strength of will, a sign of firmness, a hint of determination ?

The aspirations of over a billion people are at stake. Just get on with the real act, and for heaven’s sake don’t pull down the shade on the window of opportunity.

Hello ? Govt. of India ? Is anyone listening ?

Endpiece : The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return - Gore Vidal