Manmohan could have done much more

Four years is a long enough period in government to prove your mettle. A few days ago Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's fourth anniversary in office was celebrated in Delhi with Congress president Sonia Gandhi hosting a dinner. Public participation was nowhere. Probably, this epitomises the four-year-old rule of Manmohan Singh.

The distance between him and the public has been too visible. Is it because he stays away from politics? He continues to be a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House. All his predecessors sought election to the Lok Sabha which is the house of people. His reluctance to do so once again underlines his disdain for the rumble and tumble of politics.

He is capable, clean and competent. Probably, these qualities, however endearing, do not necessarily make a person an outstanding ruler. Somehow, one has the feeling that he could have done much more than he has.

After completing his first year in office, he gave himself six out of 10 marks. I think if the average of the last four years was to be taken, he would be somewhere between four and five. This year has been the worst. He has had all the opportunity, but probably his political acumen has failed to keep pace with the demands of governance.

I realise that Manmohan Singh is heading a coalition. There are groups within the cabinet and one of his ministers tells me that only the Congress members support him. This is indeed a handicap because the attitude of unwilling ministers, even if he ultimately prevails, shows up in the implementation of policies.

This is in contrast with the working of a few other Prime Ministers who I have observed from close quarters. Lal Bahadur Shastri took some important decisions without even consulting the Cabinet. For example, he did not tell any of his ministers in advance how he ordered the army to cross the international border in Punjab to relieve Pakistan's pressure at Chum-Johari on the Jammu-Srinagar road, then the only land link with India.

Indira Gandhi ousted Morarji Desai from her Cabinet for political reasons. Although the contest between her and Desai for leadership exposed the rupture, she had her way. Ministers subscribed to the principle of collective responsibility. Devaluation of the rupee was an example. It was a disaster, but no minister even voiced his protest against the move.

Limitation

True, Manmohan Singh does not have the political stature of Shastri or Indira. But his greatest limitation is that Sonia is always looking over his shoulders. He has to consult her even on trivial matters. And sometimes he has been embarrassed because Sonia has decided something contrary to what Manmohan Singh had announced. Given that he is a world recognised economist, people expected a lot from Manmohan Singh in the economic field. If one were to go by the rate of growth, one would say that he had done a tremendous job, averaging eight per cent annually in the four years he has been in power. But a person like him, who was once considered close to the Left, has pawned the growth rate to the top five per cent of the country. No doubt, India's middle class has expanded to 350 million, but the 20 million at the bottom is destitute. The government's own report published earlier this year says that more than 70 per cent of the people live on less than a dollar per day. What does development or progress mean when roughly 70 million people are deprived of basic necessities? At least he could have given them clean drinking water, even if unable to provide one electricity bulb to brighten their dark homes.

His Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has said in a press interview that poverty was no less belittling before they came. True, but then Manmohan Singh promised to spend on health 3 per cent of the GDP. It is hovering around 1 per cent, less than that of Pakistan. In the field of education, the performance has not been up to the mark, although the government did far better last year than before.

When Manmohan Singh was the finance secretary and subsequently Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, he had to run from pillar to post to raise money for India's foreign exchange requirements. In Delhi recently, former Reserve Bank governor Bimal Jalan commented at a seminar that India for the first time in its history had sufficient capital, manpower and technological expertise to resolve its age-old problems of poverty and deprivation.

Yet, somehow for hundreds of millions of those living below the poverty line the country had not moved on and is still stuck in the same old rut. Delhi Bombay and Chennai may be bursting at the seams with billionaires, but the wealth is not being transferred to the needy.

Inflation is a sign of wrong priorities and wrong policies. After all, it stood at 3.5 per cent last December. Now it is around eight. People at the top do not suffer because they do not have to look after pennies. It's the common man who is bearing the brunt. Manmohan Singh has been found wanting.

Kuldip Nayar is a former Indian High Commissioner to the UK and a former Rajya Sabha MP.