I used to be an addict of TV serials. But since the country had gone to election mode, national news interests me more than any of the popular TV soaps. So last night before sleeping , I was watching the news programme on Dr Manmohan Singh and his 78 strong heterogeneous cabinet. Some doubts about that would be born cabinet must have been bothering my subconscious, cause walking in my dream, I collided head on with none other than Dr. Singh. Here is an excerpt of his conversation with me.

Myself “ What a coincidence PM ji? I was thinking about you only. And you are in Bangalore !”

MMS: “ Well I always have a preference for Karnataka. Even if you have a BJP Govt , I have taken some important ministers from your state.”

Myself:”That brings me exactly to the point. Before election your party was talking about Saving and Growth.The money from the Swiss bank has not yet returned but your cabinet definitely shows the promise of phenomenal growth. How does it go with the saving policy?”

MMS: “A big cabinet actually reduces the long term expenditure of a nation.”

Myself : “ I don’t get it Sirji”

MMS: “ Bijaya it is quite difficult to explain the intricate ecnomics of Govt formation – specially to a layman like you. Yet I will try. India is big country . Any doubt?”

Myself : “No. Sir”

MMS:" The Central Govt is a big umbtrella body. It has to cover all States, Castes, Religion, Gendor, Scholars, Socialites and some Antisocials too. As we sprint through the twenty –first century globe, we will come across lots of tension—both internal and external. A sturdy umbrella is required to shelter the country from these assults.”

Myself: " I get it Sir”

MMS: " Well, had I opted for a smaller umbrella, there would have been lots of heat and dust.”

Myself “ Don’t get you Sir”

“MMS: ” We have got 2 types of MPs in the parliament. Both the types have tremendous reserve of energy. They remain steady only in state of expectation equilibrium. A greater disbalance between expectation and achievement releases their free energy and this free energy is likely to strike at the very root of a democratic govt. When that happens, occur the episodes of political migration.
The other type is even more delicate. They create internal cracks. One has to accommodate both these categories in such a way that they don’t get opportunity to shed their free energy. When you want to keep them all under one umbrella, that umbrella has to really big .”

Myself: “ But Sir how can you be sure that some rusty spokes in your umbrella won’t eat into cloth and create leaks?”

MMS:” I am quite aware of that danger Bijaya. That’s why I kept them into the periphery, so the damage is minimum.”

Myself:" Great strategy Sir. But I come back to my original question. Isn’t it a huge expenditure?”

MMS” Yes, Bijaya. But compared to a mid-term election,it is much less.”