Author:
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: May 28, 2004
URL: http://www.samachar.com/features/280504-editorial.html
As each day passes, you get fresh
evidence of the arduousness of the task confronting Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. Sonia Gandhi, who nominated him as PM in the first place, did well
to opt out considering the hazardous nature of the job keeping a coalition
of diverse and enormously ambitious elements going in a semblance of order.
Sonia could not have controlled this caboodle of greedy and fractious politicians,
especially when her becoming prime minister would have re-ignited the highly
emotive controversy over her Italian roots.
It is now for Singh to grapple with
the unruly and irresponsible lot that makes his government. Witness what
his colleagues pushed into his plate on a single day. On Wednesday, HRD
Minister, Arjun Singh, quite gratuitously sought to embarrass the major
alliance partner of the Congress Party by raking up the alleged controversy
behind Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. The HRD Minister wanted the Multi
Disciplinary Monitoring Agency set up by the NDA Government to follow up
on the recommendations of the Jain Commission which had investigated the
conspiracy behind the assassination of the former prime minister to be
given " an extension, more importance."
The wily Singh's exertions might
end up embarrassing the DMK, for it has unwisely insisted on the inclusion
of Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan as a minister in the Manmohan Singh Government.
She and her husband were among the 21 suspects in the murder case and were
held under TADA before their acquittal. The Jain Commission had called
for a further probe into the role of Subbulakshi, who is now the Social
Welfare Minister in the Manmohan Singh Government, and her husband in the
Rajiv murder.
Again, witness the developing war
of words between the foesturned- friends-turned-foes. Ever since the RJD
chief, Laloo Yadav, manoeuvred behind-the-scenes to deprive the LJP chief,
Ram Vilas Paswan, of the coveted Railway Ministry the two have revived
their old rivalries. On Wednesday, the LJP spokesperson served notice on
Laloo that their alliance in Bihar was now over. He also accused the RJD
chief of having sabotaged the prospects of the LJP candidates in the recent
parliamentary poll.
Also on Wednesday, Laloo added two
more to his tally of members in the Lok Sabha which ordinarily should be
a good thing for the ruling alliance but for the fact that of the two one
is a notorious mafia don from Siwan, namely, Mohammed Shahbuddin.With the
tainted Taslimuddin already a minister in the Government, the Prime Minister
has his job cut out. He will have to somehow insulate the Government from
the baneful influence of the criminal elements who dominate the treasury
benches.
As if this was not enough trouble
for the new PM on a single day, a newspaper disclosed the shenanigans of
yet another RJD Minister. The Minister for Company Affairs in the Singh
Government, Prem Gupta, was now contesting before the FEMA tribunal the
penalty of Rs ten crores imposed against him by the Enforcement Directorate
for foreign exchange racketeering. Predictably Gupta denied the charge
that he did anything wrong though he conceded that his appeal against the
said penalty was yet to be disposed of by the relevant authority. The short
point is that with this kind of baggage, is it any wonder that the Singh
Government fails to inspire confidence in its ability to do any good to
the country. Besides, the induction of Hansraj Bhardwaj as the Union Law
Minister sends a wrong signal and forewarns the country of the odious agenda
his masters might have set before him.
