Singh under fire

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Where one would expect the leader of one of the world’s emerging powers to be a symbol of dynamism, creating opportunities for the masses in the country on a global platform, Singh has been ridiculed in a number of foreign media in the recent months. Lately, the British daily The Independent, critiquing his tenure said under a disparaging headline “Manmohan Singh: India’s saviour or Sonia’s poodle?” This came a few weeks after Prime Minister Singh was featured on the cover of the prestigious Time magazine’s Asia edition, with the title “The Underachiever: India needs a reboot”.

The Economist referred to the 79-yearold Singh as a “lame duck” in a report on his meeting with Pakistani president Asif Zardari

Manmohan Singh has been hailed as the father of the Indian economic reforms of the 1990s. It was his foresight which saw the Indian economy break off the shackles of the quota/raj system and embrace liberalism. The momentum created by a country of over a billion people - a vast ocean of educated Indians coupled with an ambitious middle class - to propel it towards economic and financial freedom, has all but stalled in the last few years. The latest economic reports of growth of 5.3% in the first quarter, are an indicator of a slowing economy. Even ratings agencies such as Standard & Poor and Fitch, have lowered the outlook for the Indian economy to ‘negative’ and threatened to downgrade the sovereign credit rating to ‘speculative’ from ‘investment’ grade on account of deteriorating growth prospects and the government’s inertia on the reforms front. While some of the comments on the Indian economy and PM Singh do warrant closer attention, there are others which are more political. US President Obama’s comments that the American business community claim it is “still too hard” to invest in India, have been dismissed by both the Congress party as well as the opposition in India. These comments were aimed at opening up the retail sector to foreign companies, and both the government and opposition are keen to approach this reform with caution.

It is clear that corruption scams, an unresponsive bureaucracy and bullying allies are all earning the Prime Minister these unpleasant laurels. His political allegiance to Sonia Gandhi has also raised the issue of his true power.

A wry smile and a shake of the head are not uncommon when conversing with those actively involved in trade with India. “Great to work with the private sector, always a challenge to do anything with the government departments,” is a frequently-made observation.

India needs to change its way of doing business and perhaps it needs to start at the top. As Singh tackled the process of India’s reforms in 1991, it may be time to bring in a new face to lead the Congress party. Singh at 79 should not lead the party to the 2014 elections; rather the position should be taken by somebody preferably younger. Though Rahul Gandhi has often been seen as the heir apparent, Congress should dig deep and look for all possible options. Let the electorate make up their minds in 2014. If the Congress party is brought back into power, it should be clear who the Prime minister will be, unlike in the previous elections. If Congress is defeated, let the mantle pass on to the best person in the opposition then. The need of the hour is a good leader who can turn the corner successfully and take this country to greater heights.

SPIRITUAL

Chinmaya Mission events

Sat 21 – Sun 22 July Youth (CHYK) mini camp “Love is…” with Br Gopal Chaitanya

Sat 28 July “Destiny: Who is Incharge?” Talks with Br Gopal Chaitanya, 7.00pm to 9.00pm.

Bikshu Geeta Adult Classes

Starting Fri 17 Aug 9.30am to 11.00am at Chinmaya Sannidhi Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill.

New program at Shishu Vihar: Bonding of Parent and Child

Starting Sun 29 July 5-week program for parents and children aged 2 – 4 ½. Topic will be “Lord Krishna” and “Managing Stress/Art of Parenting”.

Sanskrit lessons

Chinmaya Mission Australia’s

Beginners’ Sanskrit Course is held weekly on Thursday nights, 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. It involves Alphabet, Vocabulary, Basic Reading, Basic Grammar, Basic Conversation lessons.

Singing lessons with Pushpa

Jagadish

Starting Sun 8 July 10-week course, 4.00pm-4.45pm at Chinmaya Sannidhi Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill.

Krishna Janmashtami celebrations

Fri 10 Aug 6.00pm at Baulkham

Hills Council Function Room

Details Br Gopal Chaitanya