UPA: Performance Appraisal

I am very disappointed with the way the government acted last month. (Feb 2005)

I cannot imagine Congress could go to this extent. Totally attrocious. Even after all this, will the People of India, ever realise the peace and the relative political freedom they enjoyed in the last 6 years? I doubt it.

What is Manmohan doing ? It seems, he was in Kashmir when the results in Bihar and Jharkand were announced. And when Advani called and asked him to intervene, he said, he was yet to know the results and promised to get back immediately after talking to Patil. But, after 4 more hours, when Vajpayee called him to again enquire, Manmohan has told that he couldn't get patil on the phone. I really don't know what to comment on this. What is he, when being the PM, he is not able to talk to his own deputy?

I am happy that Manmohan is on that hot seat. Instead of some crackpot, he is better. But, apart from the finance ministry, he is not bringing any dignity to either the PMO or his seat. But for this, I think it would have been better for the future of the country, had Sonia herself had sat in that seat. Though, it would have caused irrevokable embarrassement to the nation, and a literal slap on our face, people atleast would have realised the blunder they had committed. But, now, It is worse.

On the other hand, the way Natwar has handled the Pakistan and the Nepal situations is also pathetic. How can he compromise in the bus route without insisting on the passport's requirement or how did NDA allow that without any opposition or any discussion in parliment? They were busy fighting on Goa and the state elections and has allowed the nation to go to gutters. And our PM was ill advised on the Nepal front also. We have shut the doors to Nepal. We can neither talk to the King nor to the Maoists now. On this crutial moment, we have lost our best advisor J.N.Dixit.

Not even an year has passed, this govt has squabbled the whole situation.

The only console in the whole of last month was a decent budget from P.Chidambaram. Even he has introduced a ridiculous transaction fee of 0.1% for every transaction worth Rs.10,000. But for that, he has tried to address others with a sane approach.

This month has started with a positive note. With the UPA recommending Governor's rule in Goa and President's rule in Bihar. I hope the law and order in Bihar will improve and the Maoist's will come to their knees and Bihar will start seeing peace and development.

- Murali