Desperate bid to redeem credibility

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meet-the-media exercise on Wednesday would seem to be a case of too little too late. The truth is that whichever route Singh chooses to take in justifying his government's falling performance ratings, one fact remains painfully clear: it has been a testing tenure for the Congress and its allies in parliament.

While the government was rocked by one high profile scam after another, Singh had chosen the path of silence. If he had assumed charge early on by initiating prompt and effective action then the exercise with the media would not have left him in an uncomfortable position and making the oft repeated assertion that the ‘guilty would be punished.'

According to experts — and this was plain to see — the media exercise was just a session in earning brownie points before the crucial budget session which commences in parliament on February 21. But the reverse could also hold true: the situation has gone so badly out of control that Singh was forced to come out and follow the orders of his spin doctors.

Singh must now know that the media is nobody's ally. They have exposed the government's inability to control corruption and they are also acutely aware that the prime minister was embarking on a damage control exercise with little hope for success.

Looking ahead, if the nation's CEO believes that he and his ministers are above suspicion then the wisest course of action would be to subject himself and his government's actions to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) investigation, especially with respect to the 2G spectrum scam. If deemed innocent it would at least silence the baying opposition and redeem him in front of the nation.

The prime minister desperately needs to shore up his government's standing and his own before the next general elections give the people the right to issue him with a fresh fitness certificate.