PM evades real problem

By Rajinder Puri

(he writer is a veteran journalist. At a much-awaited Press conference, the Prime Minister has declared that he won’t quit. What he fails to recognise is that bad governance stems from an extra-Constitutional centre of power that is more powerful than the Prime Minister, writes Rajinder Puri)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held his much awaited Press conference. What he conveyed was that he will not quit despite the criticism levelled against him; that there have been shortcomings in governance which need to be rectified; that there has been corruption which is being probed; that despite the slow progress due to following correct legal procedure the guilty will not escape; and that the admitted shortcomings in the performance of his government may be traced to the compulsions of coalition politics that sometimes necessitate compromises.
In other words, it is business as usual. The biggest systemic flaw of the UPA government was ignored by the PM and his questioners alike. The government cannot credibly blame only coalition partners for the corruption or the compromises that have slowed down the efforts to nail it. The Commonwealth Games scam does not relate to coalition partners, It involves questionable decisions by Congress leaders. It was the Congress political secretary who met Hassan Ali. The progress of investigation in these scams has been even more dilatory than it is in the other scams. A PM need not be as inhibited in dealing with coalition partners as the present incumbent is. The heart of the problem lies elsewhere. Unless it is addressed, the performance of the UPA government will continue to flounder.
The problem is the systemic flaw under which this government functions. An extra-Constitutional centre of power exists that is more powerful than the Prime Minister. Such diarchy renders confused and self-contradictory governance. The relationship between the government and the party organisation in any democratic system works well because the lines of responsibility are clearly demarcated. The party is responsible for adhering to its agenda and to the government performing within the parameters set by it. The government is solely responsible for executing policy within those parameters. This arrangement does not obtain within the UPA setup.
Mrs Sonia Gandhi is not only the president of the Congress party. She is not only the chairperson of the National Advisory Council specially established against precedent to advise the government on all policy. She is also the head of a dynasty that is so powerful within the party that she could single-handedly appoint the Prime Minister before ascertaining the views of the party. And she achieved that because Dr Manmohan Singh accepted the post of PM in these humiliating and undemocratic circumstances. As a result, the entire Congress membership as well as its UPA coalition partners are aware where real power resides. It is Mrs Gandhi who is approached for approval of all key decisions while the PM remains a passive standerby. The PM seems content to aspire for a global Indian role while he remains marginalised as a nonentity in all matters of governance. Because of this monumental compromise that allowed him to become a PM, he is accountable for decisions not made by him. Because of the enormous power wielded by Mrs Gandhi, she can exercise power for which she is not answerable. This arrangement is unnatural, undemocratic and unworkable. Either Mrs Sonia Gandhi should become the PM, or Dr Manmohan Singh must behave as a PM should. Either the PM must call the shots. Or Mrs Gandhi must face the heat. Unless power is accompanied by accountability, the democratic process does not work. The present patchwork arrangement is tattered beyond repair. It has to be discarded. Otherwise the drift will continue. The debate will continue. And, the decline will continue. That is the bald truth Congress leaders must recognise.

source;The Statesman