When The Washington Post wrote a profile of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,calling his record tragic,it said no more than the usual about his perceived passivity,and what is widely seen to be his reluctance to push for the reform he believes in. There was nothing in the piece that has not been said and repeated by those who have analysed his leadership. And yet,it sent the government into a tizzy. Much like the recent Time article that called the PM an underachiever,it was seized upon by the opposition to taunt him and tell him how the world perceived him. A stung Congress reacted immediately,blaming the article and the newspaper. Some said the newspaper had apologised,it clarified that it had not. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni declared the article yellow journalism and threatened diplomatic action against the Washington Post. Soni,of course,belongs to an older era,when the Indian establishment both affected contempt and cared terribly about what the international press thought,and lashed out with real hurt when it thought its dignity was at stake. Yet,that she as I&B minister,could even contemplate such action against a routine profile in an American newspaper,says enough about the UPAs lack of self-worth,its vulnerability to outside approval. It has felt itself dismissed by what it considers a powerful arbiter. Washington Post,of course,probably welcomes this flap nothing can make a waning newspaper feel as potent and powerful as when a government wants to curb it. It has grandly promised to publish the PMs version of things. But what will the thin-skinned UPA do next? Tomorrow,if Beijing Daily says something unflattering about some aspect of the government,will we see repercussions in Arunachal Pradesh? Surely the UPA knows that its credibility and popularity have taken a battering. There was a time when Manmohan Singh was feted by the international media and investors. That time is now past. It should know that media commentary is merely a response to recent events,and its record in governance is now only likely to prompt downbeat analysis. If it believes its own actions,the UPA should roll with the punches now. Why would it imagine that it deserves,or is entitled to,tender treatment from the media?
