India's "Manmohan" labour pain

To,

Dr Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India

Sub: A thank you and bye. 

Dear Sir,

The pain of heart is most cruel. Most of us would reckon that you are heart-broken. We think so for the reason, that the Congress has apparently disowned you. You will be within your right to lament the Indian politics. You still have a full one and a half years to go before your tenure ends. Also, most of us agree that the UPA-II got mandate till 2014 because of you only. 

But Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is clearly in a hurry. She had been unwell for some time. No one knows for sure the future. Also, the future is full of surprises. Therefore, the wise men suggest that you should do what you can during your time. So, the mother had to take a hard look at the wayward career of her son. Dr Singh, you will appreciate the fact that India can have a Prime Minister like you but the Congress can not look beyond the "Family". Unlike his mother, the son will stake claim on the Prime Minister's post. He is already 42.

Dr Manmohan Singh

It's evident that your party has lost trust in your leadership. This is for the reason, that the "son" Rahul Gandhi is riding on the mantra of "change the system". You too may have cried like all at the Jaipur Chintan Shivir, after the young Gandhi invoked the maxim that "power is poison" but still he was embracing the poison, as he seeks service for the people. 

For full eight and a half years, the power as poison had been quite nectar for you. Even for P V Narsimha Rao, power had been quite a nectar. This was also a case with Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Both of your predecessors knew that life without power made them lifeless. But no one can correct Rahul Gandhi, at least within the Congress. Therefore, you may have watched with much agony the clamour for "change the system" propounded by Rahulji. 

I, like many others, wonder what would you do in the remaining time before you cede the position to either Rahulji or one of his rivals (if the Opposition at all succeeds in denying the UPA a third term). You have lost the political legitimacy. Without any physical handicap, you are not going to be UPA candidate in the next elections. This must hurt you the most. It's so because, you hold the distinction of giving Congress an unprecedented victory, which even Rajiv Gandhi did not have.

A lot of commentaries would be written once you relinquish your post very soon. Every Prime Minister wishes to leave behind a legacy. Before you, Vajpayee made the nation nuclear and heralded rural and telecom connectivity. Rao unveiled new economy and brought India closer to South-east Asia. 

Of course, you can stake claim for signing Indo-US nuclear deal. Also, you can take credit for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail. You had once famously told former US President George Bush that all of India love him. Your critics, however, claim that you hardly know India and hence should not have boasted. Still, you should hope that business houses in the US would adore you the most and be always in debt to you for the favour you have done to them. 

You had promised that light will dawn on India after the nuclear deal. But I am afraid a larger part of India lives in darkness after sun sets in the evening. Even the approved power plants could not take off in your regime. Your landmark decision to open the multi-brand retail is now in litigation and Supreme Court is also interested to know of the compelling reasons behind the decision. Additionally, traders and petty shopkeepers swear on your name.

But you should thank your stars that Pakistan has been bleeding for most part of your tenures due to its own follies. The border had largely been peaceful though the jawans on the line had been a little adventurous sometimes and the news channel suggested you to go for war. But thanks to your cool-headedness, you have resisted the trappings. 

You have been like a lawyer pursuing the 26/11 perpetrators. Even your best friend the US emerged quite protective of David Coleman Headley, who effortlessly videographed and laid the grounds for the Mumbai terror attacks. But what could you have done. Pakistan is a rogue nation and you are helpless. But it's a good decision, that you deprived Pakistan of an opportunity to host you.

Your economic critics slam you for turning India into a crony capitalism. The rich are getting richer and the poor more poorer. Even countries like Thailand have done better than India in reducing the absolute number of poor. But you have been blessed with friends like Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who has enjoyed the privilege of lecturing the chief ministers annually.

Even before Rahulji stripped you of all the credibility, your favourite P Chidambaram became the face of the government. Housewives do not like you but that should not bother you, as other than your wife you may not be knowing any homemaker. You can not repeat sixth pay commission always on poll eve, so even babus do not like you any more. You also can not waive off farmers' loans all the times on poll eve, so even they do not like you any more. Poor farmers, they have also been hit by erratic Monsoon. Bad omen for the UPA before 2014 date with the people.

You have never been a politician and hence you should not be criticized for not connecting with the people in the time of crisis. So, the "Occupy Raisina Hills", Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal campaigns kept jolting your government from time to time. 

BJP leader L K Advani must have cursed his fate for running his 2009 campaign on "weak PM" premise. You were the fountain of honesty and knowledge at that time. People punished Advani in most sever term. But people claim that you punished them for no faults by hoisting on them A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi, Adarsh scam, coal scam...the list is quite long. 

No one buys your excuse of coalition compulsion for such brazen loot of the national wealth. Suddenly, land and concrete buildings have become gold, thanks to mammoth black money being pumped into them. You may also be worried as an economist that the capital (savings) are being pumped into speculative places. 

Some say that if you had retired after the UPA-I, you would have been remembered as the most successful Prime Minister. The global growth engine ran out of the fuel and Indian growth story too became a casualty. So, you can not sign off on a high note now.

Notwithstanding all the diggings of your faults, I must salute you for being the longest serving Prime Minister outside the Gandhi family. You have proved that the Gandhi family is not the repository of all the acumen. Since power had not been a poison to you, you can walk into your sunset with head held high. In fact, experts may after some time may credit you for liberating the Indian democracy from the confines of 10, Janpath. 

Now even P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh can dream of becoming Prime Minister.             

Therefore, you need not be heart-broken. Your tenure was akin to the labour pain. A better India will surely be born.

With warm regards,

Manish Anand