Manmohan's decade

Four more years to shape his legacy

The most important message coming out of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 80-minute national press conference was his declaration that he was in no hurry to retire. Of course he did add, as any loyal member of a political party would, that it was finally up to the Congress party (read party President Sonia Gandhi) to decide. But, by letting his party and the country know, that too through a televised press conference, that he had no retirement plans in mind, Dr Singh has sent an important message to his senior, warring colleagues that they need not waste time criticising one another in the hope of emerging as a likely interim successor, between the incumbent and the heir apparent! New Delhi’s rumour mills have been agog with speculation that Dr Singh may retire sooner rather than later and some political analysts view the shadow-boxing within the ruling party as an incipient war of succession in the party’s middle ranks. Dr Singh has now made it clear that when the change of leadership happens, it is more likely that the prime ministership will go from an 82-year-old (Dr Singh in 2014) to a 44-year-old (Rahul Gandhi in 2014). The intervening 50s-70s generation should sit back, enjoy the ride, and do some good work. Since Dr Singh sees himself as the head of government for another four years, he should have a clear agenda of what is deliverable and be proactive in delivering on it. The press conference — and the opening statement that was circulated — was short on specifics, both on the domestic economic and internal security front and on the foreign policy and national security front. Some feel the media did not draw him out enough, others feel he chose to be far too telegraphic in his response.

Two things, however, stand out from the press conference and his statement: Dr Singh’s first priority is to ensure that the economy regains its growth momentum. Second, he hopes to take forward his peace initiatives with Pakistan and seek to improve India’s relations with its neighbours in the remainder of his term. Both are laudable objectives. On the growth front, Dr Singh has already entered the history books as the man who delivered five years of near 9 per cent economic growth, and he could easily end up delivering a decade of the highest rates of growth for India in all recorded history. The task of improving relations with neighbours, including China and Pakistan, is a more difficult one but he must invest his energies in it. The effort may not bear ready fruit but will not be wasted. To deliver on both fronts, the prime minister needs a better team, and, as he grows older, he needs a younger team, both political and administrative. The transition from 70-somethings to 40-somethings need not be sudden. More of the 50-somethings should be inducted into his own office and key ministries so as to re-energise a tired government. If Jawaharlal Nehru will forever be remembered as the “architect of modern India” and Indira Gandhi as the “builder”, Manmohan Singh has the opportunity to be remembered both as the architect and builder of post-Cold War India. The next four years will be decisive in shaping this legacy, especially since many believe that he has wasted the first year of his second term in office.