As reams and reams of criticism pours into Dr. Singh’s
coffers, let us count the good things, if any, that he may have has done in his tenure as the subordinate PM*.
First thing that comes to mind is foreign policy. He has
played a good role as a quiet pacifier in a fairly volatile region. For
neighbours we have world renowned celebrities like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dr.
Singh has quietly played a fairly constructive role in Afghanistan with also
some aid and assistance besides diplomatic support. This may sound ironic at a
time when we are having border skirmishes (again.. but no surprises there), but
he has built some trust with the Pakistani political leadership, although it is
not clear how much of that country really is under the control of its political
leadership as such. On the world stage Dr. Singh’s understated personality has
only brought India closer to most nations. To say the least, he has done no
harm.
2nd he has given some sense of security to
minority communities; I also remember him extending support to Mohd. Haneef when
he was being implicated by the Australian authorities.
But India’s biggest challenge remains its internal factors
particularly maintaining unity amidst widely divergent states. Each state is a
fiefdom in its own right and enjoys tremendous powers in the federal structure.
As a PM, he has played a good role in being a uniting force rather than a
polarising one.
Further, the UPA today is a complex organisation with Mrs.
Sonia Gandhi as the true power broker, Rahul Gandhi as the somewhat reluctant
crown prince and then there are also coalition partners. If you think keeping
all this in balance would have been an easy task, think again.
If I could encapsulate his strength that would be doing a
great balancing act; he may not give chest thumping speeches but I think he
deserves a lot more credit than is being given to him.
Now, now, let me not push things under the carpet. Inflation is about 9%, economy has slowed down, Rupee has depreciated to an all time low. So, no great shakes and I don’t think “Food security bill” will see UPA through to the next term. But more about that in my next post…
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