Having been in the saddle for nine consecutive years, four in its second stint, the Manmohan Singh government has announced its achievements and promised to build an “economically resurgent and socially just India.” The prime minister has also said that more transparent systems have been introduced to do away with corruption.
But over the past few years, most of the news that the government has made has been in terms of corruption, which in turn has taken away the sheen from its achievements. Also, the opposition has seized upon this and managed to disrupt parliament for a good number of days during its past few sessions. As such, legislation, for which lawmakers are elected by the people, is taking a backseat. Instead, the government spends time in firefighting and the opposition in trumping up new charges against it.
With less than a year to go before the elections, the government must get its act together if it wants to do well at the polls. Singh must come good on his promises of transparency and show the people that he is indeed concerned about their problems. Only a proactive government can fend off accusations of ‘governance deficit’.
