Arjun Singh\'s espousal of reservations in higher education has set the cat among the pigeons, not just in the groves of academe but within the heart of the UPA government. Whether the HRD minister intended to do so or not, his recent statements and stances have conspired to undermine the authority of the prime minister’s office and that of Manmohan Singh himself. Significantly, the prime minister has chosen not to speak on the issue. This is reflection enough of his sense of disquiet. The casual manner in which the HRD minister has sought to drag Manmohan Singh into the controversy — first by claiming that he was fully in the decision-making loop as far as the plan to introduce 27 per cent reservations went, and then going on to modify that statement — must be hugely embarrassing for a prime minister known to be a stickler for established norms. This is not the first time, of course, that Arjun Singh has made life uncomfortable for a prime minister. His run-ins with Narasimha Rao, when he was prime minister, were legendary. At one point he even sought to imply that Rao was not doing enough to assist the Jain Commission in unearthing the conspiracy behind the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and things came to such a pass that Singh chose to abandon the Congress for the new outfit floated by another old Congress warhorse, N.D. Tiwari. There have been many theories as to why Arjun Singh is tempted to engage in such brinkmanship, and some even suggest unrealised ambition as a significant motivating factor. But that should not concern us here. What should are the consequences of the HRD minister’s present political gambit for the government. The fact is that Arjun Singh has ended up undermining the PM’s image as a reformer committed to the project of modernity. Enhanced reservations in institutions of higher learning undermine that intent. Now, a relevant question: how does Sonia Gandhi view the politicking of a key aide? She must know that if the PM ends up being undermined, his government cannot escape a similar fate.
