Letters: The next PM

This refers to T N Ninan’s column “Who next?” (Weekend Ruminations, November 10) that contemplates the possibility of P Chidambaram as the next prime ministerial candidate of the Congress. In this context, it is interesting to note that both Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram are similar in some aspects. Both are intelligent and know their job well. But, on the downside, they lack political clout to implement their decisions freely. They have always been dependent on their party leadership to garner support. When Singh was the finance minister, he had the full backing of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who had a vision and the ability to deftly manoeuvre his partymen and allies. This resulted in the successful roll-out of the first round of reforms in the 1990s. However, Singh as the prime minister has not been successful since his party leader Sonia Gandhi lacks the singular qualities exhibited by Rao. It is, therefore, imperative for the Congress to have a strong leader who has both a vision and political acumen. Only then it would be possible for Chidambaram to be a successful prime minister. At present, it appears that the Congress’ only hope lies with Rahul Gandhi.

 

V Sridhar, Kolkata

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