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Journalism of Courage
Manmohan Singhs speech drew attention to the promises unkept
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh delivered a subdued Independence Day address at Delhis Red Fort,a fine drizzle falling around his sheltered dais. This was his tenth address to the nation,as his second government nears a full term. He is one of three prime ministers in Indias history to have managed such a long tenure. And yet,his words did not project a sense of achievement. They were shadowed by the troubled awareness of things that had not come to fruition.
Singh also dwelled on the economic situation,and the fact that last year,the growth rate came down to 5 per cent,a full circle to the pre-1991 years. He gave rare credit to P.V. Narasimha Rao for leading the way out of the economic crisis then,and for seizing the initiative to reform. Singh tried to place the current slump in the global context and suggest that Indias experience is not unique. But there is no getting around the irony of Manmohan Singh,main driver of economic reforms,now trying to finesse the bad news. This,even as the RBI announces a return of capital controls to protect the rupee,a licence-permit raj thrives in environmental clearances,and important reforms in pension and insurance continue to moulder. While Singh made a last-ditch attempt to moderate the fuel subsidy,open up retail and aviation to foreign direct investment,and prioritise big infrastructure projects,he cannot claim results on these fronts yet. We are working hard to remedy the situation, Singh repeated every time he mentioned the economy. No matter who inherits these circumstances after the next election,UPA 2 has shown it has little to offer beyond broken promises and rueful platitudes.
