Once referred to as the Deng Xiaoping of the Indian economy, Manmohan Singh today, is more commonly known as the ‘ night watchman’. If you walk the streets of India and ask about this man, the only probable answers you’ll get are the ones which’ll make complete sense to you as an Indian who reads and watches `India’ day and night in newspapers and on TV screens respectively. Developing or shaping up an individual’s opinion about any other individual/concept/idea/approach/proposition in India is not difficult at all. You just need to know the way, which the the opposition leaders in the case of Manmohan Singh do happen to know.
But if you don’t belong to India (or at least your source of knowledge doesn't) , then Manmohan Singh is no one else but one of the greatest economists in the world, an inspirational professor and reader in Economics and a man who pulled India out of an obvious economics crisis in 1991. Yes indeed , the man you hold ‘responsible’ for price rise , is actually the person who saved India from a certain bankruptcy in 1991. You feel he is against the fight for corruption? Well,this man resigned from the post of Finance Minister after a parliamentary investigation report criticized his ministry’s failure to predict the $1.8 billion securities scandal. He stayed after getting assurance from the then Prime Minister, P.V. Narsimha Rao, that he will be taking direct action against the culprits.
Unfortunately ,we belong to a world where we make huge mistakes when it comes to the BIG question-- Which issue deserves more attention? For example, in the Tata Nano case in West Bengal , we are focusing on the victory of farmers which is actually the victory of Mamta’s party. It is a huge defeat for the state as it has lost the opportunity of owning the first factory of the world’s cheapest car. The Tata Nano project would have put W.Bengal’s name on the world map (in bold letters). But no, it was more important for Mamta to oust the 34 year old communist stronghold. The same thing , I fear, will happen in Orrisa with POSCO facing unreasonable protests from the farmers who are backed by the opposition party funded `environmentalists’ and so called `social groups’. We again focus on the wrongly promoted ‘poor condition’ of the farmers when most of us don’t know that these farmers will be getting a 3BHK flat ,a reasonable amount of cash and a job each. But we don’t focus on the fact that India is loosing out on a mega-sized FDI which might just turn around things when it comes to FDI in India. It is sad that our focus and importance rests with (and on) the wrong side.
Now back to our so called ‘night watchman’. Yes he is a night watchman. The way he saved the game for India in 1991 (and on several other occasions in the years which followed) , he surely is a nightwatchman. Manmohan Singh ji is not acting like this because he intends to or wants to. See, the Indian Political System is not Facebook where you can say or do things the way you wish to. And if it is,then it is the Chinese version where even a status update of ‘Hi’ is inquired into and considered as a possible national threat. On the contrary, here things are ‘controlled’ and your situation is compromised 24x7. Yes we all know that Manmohan Singh is actually controlled (in a way) by the party head Sonia Gandhi like all others are (except for Digvijay Singh ji who seems to be the only one enjoying the Right to Freedom Of Speech in the party). But still we keep asking questions. I see news channels holding debates as to the degree of control exercised by Sonia Gandhi over governmental affairs on one side, and questioning the ‘silence of Manmohan Singh’ on the other side. This is so stupid. If you know someone is controlling something , then why do you go after that `thing’ asking questions? You fools, you already know that it is being controlled !!
I see no reason for dragging one of the most honest men of the Indian political system every time issues related to factions within the congress, incapability of the government, scams, scandals and pranabgates crop up. He is a man of intelligence and knowledge which seven generations of Advani, Mayawati and Mulayam (and alikes) can only dream of possessing. We disrespect his contribution towards building a self-reliant and well-supplied India by pointing fingers at him. He opened the windows of globalization in India and arranged a meeting of the Indian economy with that of the world.
Actually, the problem is that this guy does not belong to the world of politics. Any guesses why APJ Abdul Kalam rejected a second term at the President’s office? He realised this was not the place for him. There is too much dishonesty, complications,filth,dirt and Sonia Gandhi in politics (particularly congress) for intellectuals like APJ and Manmohan Ji to survive or continue respectably. So next time you find someone commenting a thing or two about our current Prime Minister, just tell them that –Yes, he is a nightwatchmen …the best you can get. It’s just that he is trying to operate at daytime ! :)
Not his fault, he is being forced to.
Manmohan Singh- The Right Man, At The Wrong Place.
