The Indians have once again shown faith in the abilities of Manmohan Singh.He is our PM once again. Naturally,we all have high expectations from him.We expect that this time he will be little hesitant in taking definite and authoritative steps while dealing with the grave issues.This time he cannot offer the excuse that he could not do this or that because of the allies.
This time there will be no self-serving political interventions of strange allies that often created embarrassing scenes for him.No doubt the electorates that allowed him to kiss the PM chair again will expect something more than soft and populist policies.
His opponents see him as a weak PM.I am sure this time he will definitely set new precedents that will kill this tag or label.It will be interesting to analyze what were those issues that made him earn infamous label-a weak PM.We need to have a look at some of the issues that haunted his earlier stint as PM.
1.Why was there no effective mechanism to counter terrorist activities in India during his previous tenure other than issuing weak statements after every incident? What difference are we going to see in the policies this time ?
2 What compelled Manmohan Singh to state that Muslims have first right over every resource” ? Will he restate the same things? Let’s see whether he rises above making outrageous statements or not.The appeasement of minorities has been the chief weakness of Congress.Will Manmohan Singh dare to bring a change in the approach of Congress or will he be dictated by other power centers in Congress ?
3.What prevented him to tackle Naxalites head-on? The Communists prevented him to take concrete steps.No more Communists now.Are we going to have better steps and changed policies towards Nepal ?
4. Manmohan Singh himself gave signals that he was a weak PM.Last time we heard him several times that he just cannot do anything because of his alliance partners.I don’t think he will be lamenting this time.Or are there still some chances to echo such shrill cry ?
5.Why was he silent when Tasleema was given a wrong treatment at the hand of Leftists in Bengal?
6.Why was case against Ottavio Quattrocchi weakened ? Well,it remains to be seen how CBI is used this time.Will this body ever truly be able to function impartially ?Will it pursue cases related with Mayawati and Mulayam in proper way ?
7.Why Afzal’s death punishment is being delayed ?What will be the stand of government this time? Further delay or immediate execution ?
8. What was the urgency to rope in Sachhar Committee ?The committee has revealed its findings.How will the government ensure its execution without irking the majority ?
9.The Gujarat High Court quashed the U C Banerjee Committee whose report negated the conspiracy theory behind the Godhra train carnage, holding it as “unconstitutional, illegal and void.”
It has become tendency of governments to form commissions.Last time Lalu formed this extra-legal commission and PM did nothing to stop Lalu from doing so.I hope this time he will not let his minsters make mockery of Commissions.
10.Many decisions taken by Arjun Singh, Lalu Yadav and Renuka Chowdhary were indicative of the fact that there was no such thing as collective responsibility during his previous tenure.In other words,PM was a silent spectator by not questioning the motive of these leaders.Thankfully, Manishankar Aiyer and Renuka are not there.Will he ensure that various ministries act in line with Constitutional provisions instead of them turning into medium for catering to the over inflated egos of Congress leaders.
11.There was sharp price rise that made essential commodities away from the reach of common man ? Will this time “Daal-Roti” be within reach of aam aadmi or will the economic policies of an economist PM keep the “Daal Roti” at a safe distance from the common man?
The dubious gestures or dubious stand on these issues made PM earn tag of a weak PM in the last government.Let’s hope this time he emerges as a “strong PM”!
