Never bitten, twice shy

Considering that all three Singh-baiters are malcontents 8212; Arjun Singh is sulking because he has largely been kept out of the decision-making process in the government, Natwar Singh has been ejected from his job and the CBI is gunning for his son in the Volcker case and Jogi8217;s son has been hauled up in a murder case by the CBI 8212; one would not normally take them too seriously. But what must be disconcerting to the prime minister is Sonia Gandhi8217;s pointed silence. True, she delivered a slap on the wrist to Jogi by announcing she had full faith in the prime minister but she has never publicly admonished HRD Minister Arjun Singh for constantly flouting the cardinal principle of cabinet responsibility and setting the agenda on OBC reservations on his own. More surprisingly, rather than picking up the telephone or meeting the PM in person to express her unhappiness on issues such as price rise or the FTA question, Gandhi has instead written critical letters, which have somehow got leaked to the press.

As surrogate prime minister for Gandhi, Singh is aware that partnership with the UPA chairperson rests on the understanding that he must shoulder the blame for all that is wrong in the government and she must walk away with all the credit. It has been made amply clear that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, a major point of pride for the government, was really the brainchild of the National Advisory Council and not the PM. If the Congress retained power in Assam despite the burden of incumbency, credit is given only to Gandhi. If the economy is in good shape, Congress persons praise only the party boss. But when there is an apprehension that Muslim voters might be turning away from the Congress, the blame rests squarely with Singh for his policy on Iran and the nuclear deal.

In the bargain Manmohan Singh8217;s halo has slipped, thanks to the spate of recent scandals, such as the unfreezing of the Quattorocchi bank account, Natwar Singh8217;s resignation over the Volcker report, the cavalier methods in forming governments in Jharkhand, Goa and Bihar or trying to push through an ordinance to get around the office of profit provision. Singh cannot shirk his responsibility. Gandhi, being outside the government, has the luxury of claiming ignorance of these goings-on.

Not surprisingly, as Sonia Gandhi keeps her hands unsullied, Singh has to take the rap. Which is why as Gandhi8217;s stock keeps rising, Singh8217;s falls. An opinion poll on Monday suggesting that Singh is preferred ahead of both Gandhi and Vajpayee as a prime ministerial option is an aberration. In fact, if the poll is accurate, it probably would be one more cause for Singh to worry. It is significant that not one of the Congress ministers have thought it fit to bring out an advertisement bankrolled by their ministries or PSUs congratulating Manmohan Singh on completing two years in government. In contrast, there were a spate of newspaper ads just days earlier to mark the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

The advantage of a prime minister as foil for the chairperson of the UPA is that he serves as the fall guy when things go wrong. A convenient target to blame if the allies, particularly the increasingly assertive Left parties, are unhappy. If the Congress brains trust cynically calculates that there is more to be gained politically by going along with Arjun Singh8217;s strident line on OBCs than Manmohan Singh8217;s more measured and statesmanlike approach, then the PM has no option but to retract assurances he may have given earlier on reservations.

This is the real downside of the surrogate system of governance. The man at the top finds his position and authority constantly undermined. He cannot act decisively in what he believes to be the country8217;s best interest, since he has perforce to keep looking over his shoulder. Singh has to yield continuously to pulls and pressures from within a section of his own party, which is caught in a time warp on issues concerning the economy and social policy. In the process, he comes out as weak-kneed and lacking the courage of his convictions. After his second year in office, Singh gives the impression that he is unable to give a decisive direction to the government, ironically something he could do far more effectively when he was merely a finance minister.

Last year on his first anniversary in office, the PM modestly awarded his government six out of ten for its performance, leading to howls of protest from his party colleagues. It is understandable that this year the doctor wisely decided not to grade his performance.

coomi.kapoorexpressindia.com