India can't be micromanaged: Omar to Modi

Recalls Modi's stewardship of Gujarat, says running a state and running a country are two very different things

It is impossible to micro-manage India or run it as a "one man show", former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah commented today as the Modi government completes one year in office.

Omar recalled Modi's stewardship of Gujarat and said, "Running a state and running a country are two very different things. It's tough enough to micro-manage a state, even a state like Gujarat. It's impossible to micro-manage a country and a country the size of India you can't do it.

"And therefore if every decision has to be sort of looked at a micro level right up to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it's not going to happen," Omar told PTI here.

When asked about the perception that PMO was micro- managing the affairs, Omar said, "Look I am not sitting in PMO. I am not in the Cabinet. I am just telling you that the perception one has talking to friends in government and in business picking up from what the media has to say, there is no doubt that decisions that needed to be taken are not being taken. And the general perception is that's because the PMO...Very heavy PMO is involved in all these decisions."

On the performance of the Modi government, he said "... The Prime Minister and his ministers are victims of their own campaign. They raised expectations to a place where delivery was always going to be difficult and impossible."

He said people had lot of expectations especially because after a long time, a single party had come to power. "People expected a lot more in terms of delivery on some tricky issues that he has been promising and clearly that has not been happening.

"Whether it is the economy, whether it is areas to do with defence and other governance related issues. Simple matters like putting a right person in right place for bodies like vigilance commission and information commission," he said.

"It's actually surprising how such a Chief Minister, who was known to be decisive, has allowed a situation where he has allowed a perception where his government is seen indecisive on crucial areas," he said.