Who ruled India, who ruined

Col J P Singh, Retd
A shout in the mountains has been known to cause an avalanche. Former media advisor of Prime Minister   Sanjaya Baru’s loud shout on the face of Dr. Manmohan Singh, his boss for five years, has shaken the earth under his feet. It has the potential of causing an avalanche to sweep Dr Singh and sink him into oblivion. Two days later another subordinate Mr P C Parakh, the Coal Secretary when Dr Singh held the Coal Ministry also spilled the beans in his book. More and more skeletons  tumble down Dr Singh’s cupboard at a crucial time when he is demitting office. The common thread in the two accounts is that Sonia Gandhi ran the Govt and PM had no control over his ministers.
Sanjaya Baru’s book ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ has described Dr Singh as puppet to Smt Sonia Gandhi who was the manipulative figure in his govt and Parakh’s book ‘Crusader or Conspirator’ has revealed that Prime Minister was undermined by the PMO and his own ministers. Both have depicted him as helpless PM.  This is what BJP has been saying for 10 years and the nation sensing since long. Such extra-constitutional control over the Govt is akin to Chinese practice. Congress President’s close loyalists sabotaged the Govt and dwarfed the PM. The rest followed the trend. Congress President was the last word in all matters ranging from appointments to positions of power and formation and implementation of policies. It is revealed that senior ministers bypassed the Prime Minister and reported directly to the Congress President. She exercised absolute power over the  Government without any accountability. She took credit for successes and passed on the failures to the Executive. The result was complete subversion of Cabinet system. Combination of responsibility without power and governance without authority suggests that Dr Singh was unable, even when aware, of checking corruption in his own Cabinet and PMO. Separation of authority and responsibility between non-constitutional authority and PMO has been the cause of disastrous performance by Dr Singh led UPA Govt. Who is to be blamed for the ruin? Is victim the culprit? This is a significant issue for debate and a lesson for the future Prime Ministers.
To stand up for what you consider to be your duty towards your country is one’s ultimate dharma and in the words of Mark Twain “Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the govt when it deserves it”. Not following dharma while holding an exalted position in the Govt or society is a crime and surrendering to the external pressures is a sin. Will history judge Dr Singh as puppet prime minister as portrayed in ‘Accidental Prime Minister and Crusader or Conspirator’ and tell posterity that Dr. Singh was the  one, not from the dynasty, who ruled India for 10 years and Sonia Gandhi holding an exalted position in the Party overshadowed the Prime Minister all these years whereas her son over ruled whenever he wanted. Rahul & Co criticised the Captain of the team without allowing him to change any player. Unfortunately Dr Singh  cannot help going down the history as the ‘Puppet Prime Minister’ of the largest democracy of the world no matter how often Gandhi family calls him Super Prime Minister or the best economist. The most startling claim in Baru’s book is that PMO official Pulok Chatterjee had to have regular meetings with Sonia Gandhi, normally on daily basis, in which he used to brief her on matters of governance and take her instructions on important files to be cleared by the PM. This shows that PM was reduced to rubber stamp who had to dance to the tune of choreographer.
When the main opposition party attacked Dr. Singh in the Parliament and called him corrupt and the media glorified it, Dr. Singh defended himself in a press conference by saying that “history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media”. The opposite is happening. Dr. Singh has betrayed the public trust, breached oath of office and left the imprints of party’s dominance over Govt. Though China like but India pays the price.
To remain ignorant of things that happen around us is to remain a child. Hence we must do whatever we can, to know what is happening around. When we are told stories of a Mantri’s stolen buffalos being searched by the police through day and night till found why should we not know important stories particularly those which are swept under the carpet. We would not know anything unless people like Baru and Parakh pick up the courage to honestly tell us the stories that are in the public interest. How baffling it is to know that netas put their own interests atop the national interest. Baru and Parakh have shown extraordinary courage and honesty in writing  books and revealing the truth.     Contemporary media can be sympathetic as he is leaving but will the history be considerate to him is to be seen because Baru and Parakh have given lot of material to the historians to use their pen as sword.
Why did the vast Mughal empire go to ruins. Mughal empire fell to disarrays because of its self seeking, egoistical rulers who made sycophants as governors, extracted lot of money from them and never allowed them to govern.
After six and half decades of independence, I think our political system stands at crucial cross roads. Why, in a largest democracy, things seems to be going wrong beyond redemption.  Hypocrisy is becoming a way of life. Electoral system is only breeding crime, money and muscle power despite our constitution being reasonably strong and judicious? Is it because of statesmen like Manmohan Singh or politicians like Sonia Gandhi who put their personal interest before the national interest. Do we want such leaders is the question before the electorate and an issue in the election. The electorate will decide whether they like to have a weak or strong Prime Minister. India is crying for good Govt, the one which walks the talk and the leader who can govern.
After Sonia Gandhi gave up power and chose Dr Singh to head the Govt, Singh was left with no options but to surrender his powers to her. Her sacrifice is proudly acclaimed by the Congressmen. Did she really give up power or hoodwinked the nation. If she sacrificed power for the nation then why weakened the institutions. Has her extra-constitutional authority benefitted India should be a talking point for political analysts.
India has a role in the sub-continent. Hence weak leadership is anathema to its traditional role. Modi will lead the next Govt is more or less a foregone conclusion. He is considered strong leader in his state and the party. Will he be able to scuttle such extra constitutional pressures. Should he follow Parliamentary route or  govern like American President or Chinese party leader. Chinese or the American model should also be the topic of discussion. His persona is already an issue in the Indian and foreign media. Mian Nawaz Sharif compared Dr Singh to a ‘Dehati Aurat’ which was strongly dared and rebutted by Narendra Modi. Should foreign Govts or its media expect the same deference from Narendra Modi they have long taken for granted from the rulers of Lutyen’s Delhi. If Congress is empowering people it must tell us who ruled and who ruined India.

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