The excuse of the Gujral government is that the coalition of disparate parties with different policy agendas makes it difficult to pursue a coherent economic policy. But this is no more than a balderdash employed to cover its timidity. Gujral should have learnt something from the Prodi government of Italy, with a long legacy of unstable coalitions, which could have helped him to discover his manhood. Though all analogies are half-truths, some are less so. The Prodi government, a coalition like Gujrals consisting of leftists and center-left parties with a gallifaufry of conflicting party platforms, showed spunk when the chips were down. Prodi realised that his whole strategy of hastening Italys entry into the European Monetary Union (EMU) will be unravelled, if he capitulates to Bertinotti, a communist leader of Reconstructed Communism (RC). He therefore called his bluff by resigning and forced a political crisis. Prodi was, of course, bold but he was shrewd enough to know that there is a popular mandate for
Italy joining the EMU. So he brought home to the people, even those supporting the communist party, the price they have to pay if the government abdicates.
Overnight, the same self-styled leader, Bertinotti, faced the music for his adventurism from his grassroot supporters, who not only opposed his obscurantism but threatened a revolt to disown him and his programmes. Apprehending that his game was up, he caved in. Prodi came back with added strength, a reinforced mandate, and greater determination, leaving the communist partners to stew in their own juice. Mild of manner but with impeccable credentials as an honest and incorruptible politician, he demonstrated that coalition does not signify pussillanimity, much less opportunism and shenanigans.
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Now look at the picture of the Gujral government, which speaks in many voices and sings in different tunes. The Prime Minister is not shy of projecting the vision of his government but scuppers every aspect of the new economic policy. His reformist finance minister announces measures which are denounced by his colleagues. Worst of all, he sticks to his chair even when his entire economic policy is reduced to a shambles by fellow ministers through a surrender to the trade union lobby. He has already offered hostages to fortune, when he scaled down tax rates drastically, without any corresponding measures to pare down subsidies. He goes round the country bemoaning export fall and industrial stagnation, but slurs over the fact that civil service expenditure ballooning has created pressures to keep the interest rates high with adverse effects on the economy. A perverse economic logic is being peddled with impunity through official sources that fat pay cheques of the government employees will spike the rate of
growth of the economy. Why not then open the spigots of deficit finance?
Despite all this, neither the Prime Minister nor the finance minister has thought fit to step down and force the issues in the national interest. If only Gujral had precipitated a crisis on principle, his leftists detracters would have fallen in line, as they would not have dared facing reelection that would have been forced on them. And even if the government had collapsed, it would not have been a catastrophe for India. Dithering without a clear understanding of what the country is craving for, surviving through subergence only to find one's name in history books, and flaunting personal integrity without competence will not nudge India to a new millennium. In matters of progress of human societies, delay is unforgiving. India has already lost heavily and unretrievably because of its slothful, selfish and bumbling governments in the past, and it is suffering as much under the present one. It is time that we Indians say to this government in unison: For heaven's sake, either shape up or ship out.
India has already lost unretrievably because of its slothful, selfish and bumbling governments.