Shut up, class has begun

A coalition government is not a band of solo performers. Rather, it is more like an orchestra in which there are different instruments, and some are heard occasionally, but where the conductor produces music rather than cacophony by ensuring that each one plays his part at the right time. If the NDA government succeeded in lasting out its full term in office it was because Atal Behari Vajpayee was a consummate conductor, even though his allies did not always strike the right notes. The soft-spoken Dr Manmohan Singh must learn from his predecessor if he wants to be heard.

Indeed, even within his own party his voice must be heard as that of the government, just as the voice of Sonia Gandhi is heard as the voice of the party. There need be no tension between the two, no discordant notes struck, no parallel centers of power, just a division of labour. Too many wrong notes have been struck within the first two days by too many constituents of the United Progressive Alliance. It is time the Good Doctor administers some bitter medicine to cure this sickness. The DMK8217;s excessive tantrum on portfolios, the liberal expression of policy views by individual ministers even before a 8220;common minimum programme8221; has been finalised, the penchant for rolling back even sensible policies on the presumption that the fractured mandate of a post-election coalition somehow sanctifies the rejection of all that has been done in the past. None of this is acceptable. Prime Minister Singh must derive reassurance from the fact that his ministers have no option but to fall in line and listen to him. The manner in which the entire country has welcomed his assumption of the prime minister8217;s office, the universal respect he commands at home and abroad, should give him enough strength to stand his ground with even the most hardened politician in his council of ministers. His coalition partners have nowhere else to go for now. His own partymen cannot play the game of divide and supplicate and he has a job at hand that he must do well.

So the PM should crack the whip and ensure that all fall in line and stop fighting among themselves or going off at a tangent on policy issues. Compare the wisdom of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram8217;s first few words in office with the un-rehearsed stream of consciousness emanating from other Congress party ministers on all manner of policy issues, ranging from the pricing of power to WTO. One Minister of State, in the Prime Minister8217;s Office no less, underlines on TV that the mandate is for Sonia lest his Boss have any doubts!. These men and women have to be told that once in government, the dharma of governance must take precedence. For a role model, they don8217;t have far to go: the prime minister himself has so far spoken responsibly and reasonably, and his example should be followed by all, irrespective of their seniority or political clout. That8217;s a must first step if this Government is serious about the long road it says it will travel.