Belated realisation that leaders spearheading the attack on the Centre for the sloppy implementation of its demonetisation scheme were not cutting much ice, the Congress finally decided to field former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to conduct an autopsy of the move that has thrown normal life out of gear throughout the country. Singh was voted out of power in the 2014 Parliamentary polls primarily because of the general perception that he headed the most corrupt government since Independence, despite the fact that his own ratings continued to be high.
There can be no argument that Singh during his ten years’ tenure was reduced to being a lame duck Prime Minister, who put to great risk his reputation in order to please the party high command, which set the agenda for his government. His reluctance to challenge many wrongdoings during his term and both his hesitation and diffidence in standing up to public humiliation at times cost him his job. In the process, he came out to be a wimp with no spine who simply obeyed orders regardless of the grave consequences they had both for the institution of the Prime Minister as well for the future of his party.
During the past two and half years, he chose not to speak on major issues, thus allowing leaders with lesser or no capacity to take the floor of Parliament in order to counter the Treasury benches and the claims of the ruling party. Singh had committed varied political follies and thereby also shared the blame for the dismal performance of the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls. He as the Prime Minister had virtually consigned himself to the dustbin of history with his actions or inactions.
However, despite all his failings and limitations, the erstwhile PM continued to be regarded as the most credible man in India so far as his academic discipline is concerned. As an economist, Manmohan Singh has very few people who can match his prowess. Thus, when he spoke on the demonetisation issue in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi listened in rapt attention as well. Singh tore into the decision which he described as “monumental mismanagement”, an “organised loot” and “legalised plunder” of the average citizen. To drive home his point, he quoted famous economist John Maynard Keynes and contested the claims of the government by stating that their argument about short term hardships and distress was faulty. He recalled John Keynes, who said that “in the long run all of us are dead”.
Singh touched a chord on all fronts as he lambasted the Centre for pushing a proposal that would impact national income and bring it down drastically. It would further contribute to heightening social tensions and cripple the economy. The trust people have had in the Reserve Bank and consequently in the banking system was rapidly being eroded, with the principal bank flip-flopping on a daily basis on its announcements. Singh urged the Prime Minister to initiate steps that would be pragmatic and help in reducing the harassment and disillusionment of the common man.
It was a rare spectacle in the political arena when Singh, while speaking on the subject which he knows better than most and certainly better than anyone in the present government or his own, at the same time ensured that he sounded politically correct as well. Therefore, he made it abundantly clear that he had no disagreement with the objective, but was unable to comprehend why such mismanagement had been unleashed on the common citizen to attain the goals.
Singh’s strident criticism of the government showed the Congress high command in diminutive light for ignoring his credentials while giving precedence to other leaders for articulating their views on the matter. The fact that the former Prime Minister featured prominently in the entire media was because his core proficiency came to the fore, making people understand the reality with a clear mind, in contrast to the foggy headed explanations being offered by those in the government.
The Congress, on its part, should have on day one itself fielded its best players on the subject. In the Lok Sabha, Kamal Nath could have queered the pitch while putting the ruling party on the defensive. He is a superior orator than anybody else the Congress has in the Lower House and understands the issue with clarity. A combination of Kamal Nath in the Lok Sabha and Singh in the Rajya Sabha would have assisted the Congress redeem itself, given that the people of the country are unwilling to accept the “first family” to provide them guidance.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been desperately trying to re-assure the people about the intention of the government and in the process decided to take on Singh after his speech for leading a corrupt regime. Jaitley is the lone minister who is attempting a sincere effort to explain the official point of view. Modi, on the other hand, needs to elaborate extensively on demonetisation, which is going to have far reaching ramifications for his government and the party.
Modi is certainly the prime asset in BJP’s possession and should not shy away from countering the Opposition charges. In spite of his failings, Singh is the most credible leader in the Congress and therefore should get more such opportunities to speak on economic and financial matters. Between us.