Third Year Blues

Two consecutive days of militant violence in Srinagaron the eve of a roundtable conference in Kashmir to be attended by the PrimeMinister; resignationsby two anti-reservation members of the National Knowledge Commission even asstrikes by medical students continued; reiteration by the LeftParties that they would continue to oppose in and outside Parliament UPApolicies that adversely affected people. And to top it all, a marketmeltdown, given that the one thing the UPA government prides itself on is abooming economy and a stock market that has, in recent times, gone through theroof. Clearly, it was not the most propitious beginning for the UPA’s thirdyear in office.

But on the evening of May 22, the UPA indulged in a low key celebration onthe lawns of the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Race Course Road: Speechesby Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi – listingthe government’s achievements and priorities, while acknowledging thechallenges ahead – and the release of a Report to the Nation as well as statereports in each of the Indian languages, followed by dinner for all the UPA MPs.

Sonia Gandhi’s brief speech , understandably, listed all the social sectorsuccesses – largely initiated and pushed forward by the National AdvisoryCouncil that she headed till recently – and stressed that the focus would nowhave to be on implementation of the schemes that had been put in place, with aspecial focus on the ailing agricultural sector, But, curiously, it was silenton the reservation issue. It was left to Dr Manmohan Singh to mention the "R"word , after he reiterated much of what Sonia said in her speech, tagging on thegovernment’s achievements in the areas of economic and foreign policy,throwing in an unwelcome warning that the petroleum hike could no longer be putoff.

But the reservation issue was introduced as delicately as possible: Making afresh appeal to students protesting against reservations in higher educationalinstitutions, the PM said, "I request all those who are agitating on the quotaissue to call off their agitation and have faith in our government to protectthe legitimate interests of all sections of our student community." The government,he said, was convinced of the need to have a "fair, just and inclusive"education system "where every section of the society feels that there is scopefor their youth to acquire knowledge and skills as per their needs and becomepartners in the progress of this great nation". He also stressed that thecountry's youth was its "greatest asset" and promised to "pay specialattention to the needs of socially backward classes, while ensuring that nodeserving student is denied an opportunity to secure education."

As for the "hero" of the reservation issue, union HRD minister ArjunSingh was one of the first cabinet members to arrive – sitting in solitarysplendour for a good 15 minutes on the dais intended for the top ministers. Andif atmospherics were any indication on an oppressively steamy evening, it wasthat the left leaders showed up only for the dinner – they had earlierindicated that they did not want to be part of the formal part of thecelebration, especially as earlier in the day they had done their rather unflatteringassessment of the UPA’s two years in power. It was also right – andfitting – that the man who had so bravely put reservation for the OBCs on thenational agenda in 1990 -- former Prime Minister VP Singh -- should also attendthe celebratory dinner in his capacity as Friend of the UPA.

On the surface, it was all bonhomie and quiet – if not good – cheer. Twoutterly civilized leaders – Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh – deferringto each other in public, one praising the other for "providing the type ofleadership that we all expected and that the nation hoped for", and the otherreturning the compliment by talking of the "inspiring leadership" of thefirst. Two almost identical speeches – in content and tone – almost twominds with a single thought.

But beneath it all, there was a clear sense of disquiet, of an apprehensionthat while the economy was apparently doing well and all the right noises beingmade on the social sector front, it was still adding up to growth withoutequity. And that the division of labour between Sonia and Singh was making for adivorce between politics and governance, one that could end in an electoraldisaster, if the political management of the government did not improve quickly.And finally, by trying to be all things to all men, it might end up notrepresenting anyone at all.

As Singh himself acknowledged: "Running a government is not difficult.Building a nation certainly is. That is what our people expect of us. We mustnever fail them."