A PRIME MINISTER AND HIS CRONIES
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    • A PRIME MINISTER AND HIS CRONIES
    At the outset I should confess that some of my views which are blunt could seem to be totally biased. I have always viewed our Prime Minister with suspicion ever since he used questionable means to survive a vote of confidence  on Indo US nuclear deal. UPA was voted back to power despite their friends the leftists withdrawing from the alliance. The business and elite felt that with this new mandate, UPA-II could propel to greater heights of liberal era. Unfortunately,. Dr Singh, who is not an elected member of the house, came to believe that it was his image as a clean man that sailed the Congresss party through with record no of seats inrecent memory. Any one remembers the broadcast of the song Singh is King when he won the vote of confidence?  Let me substantiate my worries about this man. He is seemingly innocuous for most of the time he keeps mum. He was sure that he can not assert his Prime Ministerial authority as did NarasimhaRao because he like his mentor had no mass following but he had many sworn enemies with in his cabinet. Pranab for instance who is still sulkingfor having to work under a man whose appointment as RBI governor bore his signature in yesteryears. That is why Dr.Singh wanted Dr.Montek as FM but the party forced him to compromise on Pranab da even though he is not exactly trustworthy to Gandhi clans. Chidambaram was another serious contender who had built bridges wtih Gandhi clans and is arguably one ofthe finest ministers In Independent India. Even a late entrant like Jairam Ramesh could upset thePM for during his stint in Environment Ministry, Ramesh was harsh on many projects prompting PM to remarks that these reminded him of the return to licence raj. PM had the last laugh when he promoted Jairam to the cabinet taking away the environment ministry and put him in Rural development.

    PM relies on his group of advisors like Dr.Rangarajan, Dr.Montek Singh Ahuluwalia, the PMO- the most powerful extra constitutional authority in India as of now. Bureaucrats are enjoying when they could take the Ministers their bosses to task. Take for instance, the memo of Finance Ministry on the 2G scam. PMO - a joint secretary at PMO could extract a written letter from FM which said the thenFM could actually have avoided the scam had he acted. Well people spoke about rivalry between Finance Minister and Home Minister but the author of the story was PM himself who posed for photographs calling truce.

    PM knows that he owes his job to Sonia Gandhi-UPA Chairperson.But somehow he wanted to teach the lady a lesson or two. His media advisors and friends in the media always accused Sonia when ever there was a failing absolving PM.It served him. National Advisory council headed by Sonia who enjoys the rank of a Cabinet Minister is accused of meddling in policy matters. PM uses his think tank in Advisory council to block every recommendation that NAC puts forward. Universal PDS- Dr.Rangarajan and Montek say that could cost dearly the nation and suggest why not target subsidies? why not conditional cash transfers? Why not embark on a national mission to provide unique identity to every citizen to target subsidies? The cost of the Aadhar project now rejected by Standing Committe on Finance is a whopping 75000 crores. CAG may note this to prepare another explosive report but he will not. He is part of this group to derail democracy. Otherwise why did he not quantify the losses due to excess acreage of drilling by RIL and why the PMO;s mammoth scam in waiting- an award of S band Spectrum to a firm of ex bureaucrat, diplomats, and scientists of ISRO has not become a serious issue? Why is the media silent on this? If you can demand the resignation of HomeMinister for alleged favor to his client with no substantive evidence, why not ask for resignation of PM in the ISRO Spectrum case? Even in the present instance, media is leaked letters by Home Ministry officials very junior levels at that recommending the FIR against Gupta be dropped as Home Minister has already cleared it. Infact Home Minister had only advised to forward the opinion of law ministry in his writings inthe file? But the letter of a junior bureaucrat is now gospel truth.

    Bureaucrats are expected to implement policy matters of the Government of the day. They are servants of the elected representatives.They can air their view but that is not the law. If they have genuine problem with the content of a policy, they could approach courts with reason. PM is an ex bureaucrats and comfortable with them.He uses the babus as moles in every ministry to settle personal scores. At the outset it may seem outrageous but it is a fact.
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