Minister as liability

Arjun Singh, minister of human resource development, has put the Central government at a crossroads, and it is time for both his prime minister and party president to acknowledge this moment for what it is. Put simply, it is this: a key minister has taken unilateral control of a very important social policy issue and is breaching all norms of ministerial responsibility and parliamentary responsiveness to consolidate that control. Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have to quickly rescue the issue of social inclusiveness in education from the minister before he sets the Congress-led UPA government on the path of confrontation with anyone who may have a point of view at variance with his.

That confrontation would do no good for the moral position for the Centre or for the greater goal of social inclusiveness. When he seeks to silence all dissent and discussion 8212; as he did this weekend, by administering a stern lecture through the media to the National Knowledge Commission 8212; he speaks in his capacity as a minister. It is a little point of relevance that his reading of the Constitution to the commission is legally flawed. What is more important is that he is attempting to inhibit the commission8217;s members from proceeding with a task given to them by the prime minister. He is being undemocratic in stifling debate. And more importantly, he is snubbing the authority of his prime minister.

Is this how the Congress wants to play the field on a matter as important as affirmative action? Is this now to be the measure of the party8217;s dim view of well-meaning inputs from intellectuals? Arjun Singh, with his intemperate comments on the Knowledge Commission, has taken public debate to a regrettably low point. It is left to Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi to reflect that even during the most discordant patches in the term of the NDA coalition at the Centre, the prime minister always had the final word. It is for them to decide whether they approve of the prime minister8217;s office being undermined so casually.