What kind of government?

What kind of government should the country expect? Assuming that the allies of the Congress accept Sonia Gandhi's leadership, the first question will be settled and India will have the unique experience of someone who was born as a foreigner being accepted as the country's leader.

She has come a long way from the shy bride of 36 years ago, especially since she was vigorously opposed 20 years ago to her husband assuming the office that she now readies to enter.

She came into formal public life because of a clear need in the Congress for leadership that would hold the party together and give it new direction, and that she has provided.

She has no prior experience of government, and as the leader of a disparate coalition, is going to be tested in many ways. She will of course have the advantage of seasoned colleagues; in the economic field, any ministerial team that can boast of Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee cannot be short of either ability or experience.

It would also be a good idea to give the party's young MPs a chance to show their mettle. There are several promising candidates for office, and India is after all a young country. What Ms Gandhi will know is that ministries like agriculture, irrigation and rural development should not be left to non-performers, while someone who understands the needs of a modern society will have to undo the harm done to education by Dr Joshi.

Ms Gandhi should be conscious of the need for people committed to deregulation in the industry-specific ministries. And, it must be hoped, she will start with a small ministry that will signal a desire to trim the size of government.

If the country were to read into Ms Gandhi's style of party leadership, she believes in committee work and likes to build consensus. However, given the dynastic nature of the party's politics, the Congress always conveys the sense of a court and of courtiers trying to second-guess her wishes "" which can be dangerous for a leader who needs to stay in touch with the popular mood. Her views on most issues are now well known.

She stands by the Congress tradition of secularism, and would like to proceed with those reform measures that make a difference to the "aam aadmi", or common man. How these will translate into programmes remains to be seen.

Policies will have to be honed after discussions with allies, and hammering out a common minimum programme would be a good idea. The Left parties have clear positions, but are likely to be flexible. But privatisation and labour law might prove sticking points.

While change in these areas is desirable, there are other large areas crying out for decisive change. The start of a government's term in office is the time of maximum opportunity; one must hope it won't be wasted.