Arindam Chaudhuri is Delhi franchise holder for i1 Super Series
World Cup fever is gradually reaching a crescendo and I am sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must be wistfully humming ‘De Ghoomake’ in solitary splendour at 7, Race Course Road as he grimly contemplates the prospect of facing a belligerent BJP in the soon-to-start Budget session of the Parliament. As cricket competes with sleaze and serendipity for headlines, it may be time to turn the clock back a while and revisit the Cricket World Cup of 2007.
At the helm of the team was the celebrated duo of Indian Rahul Dravid as Captain and Australian Greg Chappell as Coach. Dravid was Mr Nice who sometimes surprised us with uncharacteristic flourishes of decisiveness and assertiveness. Chappell was the strategist who pulled strings (often from not behind the scenes) as the partnership between the affable Dravid and the abrasive Chappell promised to take the Indian team right to the top of the heap. For a while, in the early days of their partnership, things looked great as the team under Dravid notched up 16 consecutive One Day victories. Early misgivings about the unnatural and unsustainable nature of this partnership were swept aside as rants of frustrated fans. And then it happened. India was humbled, humiliated and hooted out of the World Cup. Sounds naughty but you can’t help wondering if the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi partnership is not heading for a similar denouement.
Please remember, it was India that offered the job to Greg Chappell. And surely all of us know the Congress party virtually forced a deeply reluctant Sonia Gandhi to accept the thankless job of being the Congress president. Of course, beyond this, it would be churlish and insulting for India to draw any parallels between the innate dignity and maturity of Sonia Gandhi with the often comical cockiness of Chappell. Yet, as in the arena of cricket, it is both perceptions and results that matter more than intentions in the arena of competitive politics.
No one doubts that Dravid was brimming with good intentions. No one would dare question his ‘personal’ integrity. No one could even gossip about his pedigree and class and his deep understanding of the game. We all knew he was perhaps the best read Indian cricketer, erudite, knowledgeable and a thinker. And yet, many of us couldn’t help wonder if he was the right man to be at the helm of the Indian cricket team. Such strangely similar, sad and haunting thoughts have gripped many while thinking about the erudite, knowledgeable and thinker Dr Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India.
It would be tempting to look at recent past and scoff at the comparison between Rahul Dravid and Manmohan Singh. After all, hasn’t the partnership between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh proven to be one of the most durable and successful in contemporary history when instability and uncertainty were the order of the day? After all, did the duo - despite all criticism and cynicism - not work electoral magic in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when all those who harangued and harassed Dr Singh - Prakash Karat, Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav - were humiliated at the hustings? After all, hasn’t Manmohan Singh been at the helm as Prime Minister longer than any other politician in India except Jawaharlal Nehru?
All that was true in the summer of 2009 when the Congress and the UPA looked invincible. But in less than two years, those heady days of euphoria have evaporated, leaving behind a haze of sleaze, scams, rising prices and a sense of drift that is unnerving. The latest survey of Indians carried out across 21 cities by CVoter for this magazine has much that should unnerve Dr Manmohan Singh and cause him deep anguish despite the fact that most Indians still seem to be convinced that he is a good guy. Almost two-thirds of Indian voters are convinced that Dr Manmohan Singh was a better Union finance minister than a Prime Minister. A majority think he is not doing enough to tackle corruption and many more are convinced that he cares more for the rich than the poor. But the sucker punch for Dr Singh is this: three out of four Indians think that he is more of a puppet now than he was during the first term of UPA.
Of course, we all know that much as she respects and trusts him, Sonia Gandhi is not looking at Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister beyond 2014 - perhaps even earlier. We know she has to look at the long term interests of her party and the cringing desperation of Congressmen to see Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of India. Politics is not about being nice and Mrs Gandhi would request Dr Singh to step aside in a heartbeat if she was convinced that a replacement ‘partner’ would be a better bet for the Congress in 2014. She has reasons to worry on this count. A majority of Indian voters say they have no idea who could be a better Prime Minister now. But the sucker punch for Mrs Gandhi is this: close to 40 per cent of voters say they would vote for the NDA if elections were held today while just 34 per cent opted for the UPA. Clearly, the astute Mrs Gandhi must be aware of the clear and present danger that confronts her party.
Is all looking lost then for the ruling establishment as it lurches from one crisis to another? Lets stretch the cricket metaphor a bit. After the World Cup debacle, a new look team of youngsters led by M.S Dhoni zapped the world by winning the inaugural 20-20 World Cup. If wishes were horses…
Shahana Mir, Housewife, Mumbai
Mitti ke khilaune bhi na saste the mele me/MaaN, baap bahut roye ghar ja ke akele me (Even Earthen
toys were not cheap in the fair/Mother and Father cried upon returning home). Government policies in India mean more or less the same for the poor and the middle class, whether it be a Congress government or that of BJP. Today, the most important issue is food price inflation that has wreaked havoc on majority of the people of the country. Only a few rich people, who are getting richer by every passing day, is happy with the situation. Since the UPA always claims to work for the welfare of the minorities, the government must do one more thing for the welfare of the majority of people in India. Print and paste photographs of fresh fruits and vegetables so that the poor can remember their names to live happily ever after.
R. M. Pitchappan, Scientist, Chennai
India is a country of many variations and has many problems. But we get
by as our family values are strong. Of course, episodes of corruption, price rise and mismanagement affect us. I hold the conjunction of various international and national factors responsible for price rise. But as much as government policy is aimed at helping the poor and the marginalised, the practice of giving things for free does not make sense. It kills the motivation to work. It will eventually lead only to a western farming model where big farm owners and corporates can only afford to till the land. Perhaps the government should devise a system so that it supports only those who work. In my field of science, the quality of teaching is abysmal. There is no pride in teaching. I suggest more emphasis be given to quality. There should be no compromise on quality at the point of entry.
Dasharath Pali, Local trader, Ahmedabad
I just cannot fathom what our leaders are doing nowadays. The people are struggling hard to fulfil the needs
and requirements of their families. Grains, pulses, milk, vegetables, fruits, petrol… prices are going up. The common man's household budget is going out of hand. Even onions have become unaffordable. How can a person survive? Every year the government assures us that the needs of the common man are being considered in the Budget. Only concerns of the big corporate houses are factored in, leaving the aam aadmi to suffer. I hope that the government eases the tax rates because these taxes make commodities more expensive. Why should we pay Education Cess when billions of rupees are allocated each year for education? Time has come for the government to realise the situation. Otherwise, the public will make sure you are out in the next elections.
Nemai Adhikari, School Teacher, Kolkata
I expected the UPA-II to take steps for qualitative upgrade of education but it has disappointed me.
The ‘education for all’ programme and change in the evaluation system have compromised quality. Being half-educated is more dangerous than being illiterate. I am also disappointed with the high rate of corruption and the government's failure to control price rise. Economic disparity is reaching an explosive stage. I think the budgetary allocation for education should be hiked to 10 per cent of the total Budget. The interest rate on PF should also be increased as this may give the inflation-hit commoner a little respite. Retired teachers and government employees depend on the interest accrued on their limited savings like PF and other funds. Having failed to arrest price rise, the government should at least provide succour by hiking interest rates on savings.
Arun gogoi, shopowner, guwahati
I am hopeful about some reform processes that have been kickstarted
by the Centre such as online documentation by various government departments which would gradually help in eradicating the role of middlemen in business. Speaking on the leadership quality of Manmohan Singh, I will say he has not been a strong PM. But at the same time, he does not suffer from dictatorial attitude and Singh is running the government in a democratic way. I hope that the government becomes more transparent. In case, people and agencies are found guilty of corruption, the culprits are brought to book. The government should also ensure mechanisms so that such scams do not take place in future. The price hike of essential commodities and fuel price hike has definitely affected me and my family. The government should show prudence to address the issue without any further delay.
Dhruba sahoo, Govt Employee, Bhubaneswar
We can definitely blame the Union government for the optimum rise in prices of essential commodities.
And this has created a scope for unscrupulous businessmen to hoard commodities and make money. Though the state government machinery is trying its best to control black marketeers but it has no effect. I think, artificial shortage of essential commodities is the main cause of this price rise. The people, who are responsible for this artificial shortage, should be dealt with most stringently and the harshest punishment should be reserved for them. Both the Centre and the state should adopt a long-term strategy to increase agricultural output to face this grim scenario of food shortage and the resultant price hike. At last, I have to say that the state government has a greater role in curbing price rise as compared to the Union government.
H. K. Abhishek, Software Consultant, Bangalore
I guess two consecutive terms give more time to a government to unveil a plan and implement it.
Well it seems inflation has been their plan and it is never going to end. The PM said that we had a stable economy during the global recession. Well, I would agree with that for a while when compared to other countries. Today all prices - fuel, basic food, transportation – are on the rise. This government did or said nothing credible when US talked about cutting down on outsourcing and reduction in number of VISAs. They conceived several plans but I think there was no critical introspection on subjects like 123 Agreement, NREGA etc. To top it all, so many appalling scams have kept the UPA busy and people in constant wonder. I just hope they work for common people sometime and come up with real leaders rather than building up the image of Rahul Gandhi.
Pawan Kumar, Engineer in MNC, Noida
There should be more stringent laws to deal with corruption in the country.
Merely enacting laws will not ensure eradication of corruption and the government should make sure that these laws are implemented too. Thanks to the UPA government's performance and rampant corruption, one is unable to live through one's salary these days. Prices of commodities have touched the sky. To top it all, if some fraud or scam is exposed, then the government tries to save the culprits instead of bringing them to book. Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proved to be a weak leader on one hand and on the other, Rahul Gandhi is busy promoting himself to keep the dynastic flag flying. The government is indulging in caste and religion-based politics. It seems that the bureaucracy is running the country instead of the elected officials.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM ranks No 1 in International Exposure in the 'Third Mail Today B-School Survey'
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM
IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri
IIPM: What is E-PAT?
"Thorns to Competition" amongst the top 10 best sellers of the week.
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
'Thorns to Competition' - You can order your copy online from here
IIPM Mumbai Campus
World Cup fever is gradually reaching a crescendo and I am sure Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must be wistfully humming ‘De Ghoomake’ in solitary splendour at 7, Race Course Road as he grimly contemplates the prospect of facing a belligerent BJP in the soon-to-start Budget session of the Parliament. As cricket competes with sleaze and serendipity for headlines, it may be time to turn the clock back a while and revisit the Cricket World Cup of 2007.
At the helm of the team was the celebrated duo of Indian Rahul Dravid as Captain and Australian Greg Chappell as Coach. Dravid was Mr Nice who sometimes surprised us with uncharacteristic flourishes of decisiveness and assertiveness. Chappell was the strategist who pulled strings (often from not behind the scenes) as the partnership between the affable Dravid and the abrasive Chappell promised to take the Indian team right to the top of the heap. For a while, in the early days of their partnership, things looked great as the team under Dravid notched up 16 consecutive One Day victories. Early misgivings about the unnatural and unsustainable nature of this partnership were swept aside as rants of frustrated fans. And then it happened. India was humbled, humiliated and hooted out of the World Cup. Sounds naughty but you can’t help wondering if the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi partnership is not heading for a similar denouement.
Please remember, it was India that offered the job to Greg Chappell. And surely all of us know the Congress party virtually forced a deeply reluctant Sonia Gandhi to accept the thankless job of being the Congress president. Of course, beyond this, it would be churlish and insulting for India to draw any parallels between the innate dignity and maturity of Sonia Gandhi with the often comical cockiness of Chappell. Yet, as in the arena of cricket, it is both perceptions and results that matter more than intentions in the arena of competitive politics.
No one doubts that Dravid was brimming with good intentions. No one would dare question his ‘personal’ integrity. No one could even gossip about his pedigree and class and his deep understanding of the game. We all knew he was perhaps the best read Indian cricketer, erudite, knowledgeable and a thinker. And yet, many of us couldn’t help wonder if he was the right man to be at the helm of the Indian cricket team. Such strangely similar, sad and haunting thoughts have gripped many while thinking about the erudite, knowledgeable and thinker Dr Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India.
It would be tempting to look at recent past and scoff at the comparison between Rahul Dravid and Manmohan Singh. After all, hasn’t the partnership between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh proven to be one of the most durable and successful in contemporary history when instability and uncertainty were the order of the day? After all, did the duo - despite all criticism and cynicism - not work electoral magic in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when all those who harangued and harassed Dr Singh - Prakash Karat, Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav - were humiliated at the hustings? After all, hasn’t Manmohan Singh been at the helm as Prime Minister longer than any other politician in India except Jawaharlal Nehru?
All that was true in the summer of 2009 when the Congress and the UPA looked invincible. But in less than two years, those heady days of euphoria have evaporated, leaving behind a haze of sleaze, scams, rising prices and a sense of drift that is unnerving. The latest survey of Indians carried out across 21 cities by CVoter for this magazine has much that should unnerve Dr Manmohan Singh and cause him deep anguish despite the fact that most Indians still seem to be convinced that he is a good guy. Almost two-thirds of Indian voters are convinced that Dr Manmohan Singh was a better Union finance minister than a Prime Minister. A majority think he is not doing enough to tackle corruption and many more are convinced that he cares more for the rich than the poor. But the sucker punch for Dr Singh is this: three out of four Indians think that he is more of a puppet now than he was during the first term of UPA.
Of course, we all know that much as she respects and trusts him, Sonia Gandhi is not looking at Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister beyond 2014 - perhaps even earlier. We know she has to look at the long term interests of her party and the cringing desperation of Congressmen to see Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of India. Politics is not about being nice and Mrs Gandhi would request Dr Singh to step aside in a heartbeat if she was convinced that a replacement ‘partner’ would be a better bet for the Congress in 2014. She has reasons to worry on this count. A majority of Indian voters say they have no idea who could be a better Prime Minister now. But the sucker punch for Mrs Gandhi is this: close to 40 per cent of voters say they would vote for the NDA if elections were held today while just 34 per cent opted for the UPA. Clearly, the astute Mrs Gandhi must be aware of the clear and present danger that confronts her party.
Is all looking lost then for the ruling establishment as it lurches from one crisis to another? Lets stretch the cricket metaphor a bit. After the World Cup debacle, a new look team of youngsters led by M.S Dhoni zapped the world by winning the inaugural 20-20 World Cup. If wishes were horses…
Shahana Mir, Housewife, Mumbai
Mitti ke khilaune bhi na saste the mele me/MaaN, baap bahut roye ghar ja ke akele me (Even Earthen
toys were not cheap in the fair/Mother and Father cried upon returning home). Government policies in India mean more or less the same for the poor and the middle class, whether it be a Congress government or that of BJP. Today, the most important issue is food price inflation that has wreaked havoc on majority of the people of the country. Only a few rich people, who are getting richer by every passing day, is happy with the situation. Since the UPA always claims to work for the welfare of the minorities, the government must do one more thing for the welfare of the majority of people in India. Print and paste photographs of fresh fruits and vegetables so that the poor can remember their names to live happily ever after.R. M. Pitchappan, Scientist, Chennai
India is a country of many variations and has many problems. But we get
by as our family values are strong. Of course, episodes of corruption, price rise and mismanagement affect us. I hold the conjunction of various international and national factors responsible for price rise. But as much as government policy is aimed at helping the poor and the marginalised, the practice of giving things for free does not make sense. It kills the motivation to work. It will eventually lead only to a western farming model where big farm owners and corporates can only afford to till the land. Perhaps the government should devise a system so that it supports only those who work. In my field of science, the quality of teaching is abysmal. There is no pride in teaching. I suggest more emphasis be given to quality. There should be no compromise on quality at the point of entry.Dasharath Pali, Local trader, Ahmedabad
I just cannot fathom what our leaders are doing nowadays. The people are struggling hard to fulfil the needs
and requirements of their families. Grains, pulses, milk, vegetables, fruits, petrol… prices are going up. The common man's household budget is going out of hand. Even onions have become unaffordable. How can a person survive? Every year the government assures us that the needs of the common man are being considered in the Budget. Only concerns of the big corporate houses are factored in, leaving the aam aadmi to suffer. I hope that the government eases the tax rates because these taxes make commodities more expensive. Why should we pay Education Cess when billions of rupees are allocated each year for education? Time has come for the government to realise the situation. Otherwise, the public will make sure you are out in the next elections.Nemai Adhikari, School Teacher, Kolkata
I expected the UPA-II to take steps for qualitative upgrade of education but it has disappointed me.
The ‘education for all’ programme and change in the evaluation system have compromised quality. Being half-educated is more dangerous than being illiterate. I am also disappointed with the high rate of corruption and the government's failure to control price rise. Economic disparity is reaching an explosive stage. I think the budgetary allocation for education should be hiked to 10 per cent of the total Budget. The interest rate on PF should also be increased as this may give the inflation-hit commoner a little respite. Retired teachers and government employees depend on the interest accrued on their limited savings like PF and other funds. Having failed to arrest price rise, the government should at least provide succour by hiking interest rates on savings.Arun gogoi, shopowner, guwahati
I am hopeful about some reform processes that have been kickstarted
by the Centre such as online documentation by various government departments which would gradually help in eradicating the role of middlemen in business. Speaking on the leadership quality of Manmohan Singh, I will say he has not been a strong PM. But at the same time, he does not suffer from dictatorial attitude and Singh is running the government in a democratic way. I hope that the government becomes more transparent. In case, people and agencies are found guilty of corruption, the culprits are brought to book. The government should also ensure mechanisms so that such scams do not take place in future. The price hike of essential commodities and fuel price hike has definitely affected me and my family. The government should show prudence to address the issue without any further delay.Dhruba sahoo, Govt Employee, Bhubaneswar
We can definitely blame the Union government for the optimum rise in prices of essential commodities.
And this has created a scope for unscrupulous businessmen to hoard commodities and make money. Though the state government machinery is trying its best to control black marketeers but it has no effect. I think, artificial shortage of essential commodities is the main cause of this price rise. The people, who are responsible for this artificial shortage, should be dealt with most stringently and the harshest punishment should be reserved for them. Both the Centre and the state should adopt a long-term strategy to increase agricultural output to face this grim scenario of food shortage and the resultant price hike. At last, I have to say that the state government has a greater role in curbing price rise as compared to the Union government.H. K. Abhishek, Software Consultant, Bangalore
I guess two consecutive terms give more time to a government to unveil a plan and implement it.
Well it seems inflation has been their plan and it is never going to end. The PM said that we had a stable economy during the global recession. Well, I would agree with that for a while when compared to other countries. Today all prices - fuel, basic food, transportation – are on the rise. This government did or said nothing credible when US talked about cutting down on outsourcing and reduction in number of VISAs. They conceived several plans but I think there was no critical introspection on subjects like 123 Agreement, NREGA etc. To top it all, so many appalling scams have kept the UPA busy and people in constant wonder. I just hope they work for common people sometime and come up with real leaders rather than building up the image of Rahul Gandhi.Pawan Kumar, Engineer in MNC, Noida
There should be more stringent laws to deal with corruption in the country.
Merely enacting laws will not ensure eradication of corruption and the government should make sure that these laws are implemented too. Thanks to the UPA government's performance and rampant corruption, one is unable to live through one's salary these days. Prices of commodities have touched the sky. To top it all, if some fraud or scam is exposed, then the government tries to save the culprits instead of bringing them to book. Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proved to be a weak leader on one hand and on the other, Rahul Gandhi is busy promoting himself to keep the dynastic flag flying. The government is indulging in caste and religion-based politics. It seems that the bureaucracy is running the country instead of the elected officials.For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM ranks No 1 in International Exposure in the 'Third Mail Today B-School Survey'
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM
IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri
IIPM: What is E-PAT?
"Thorns to Competition" amongst the top 10 best sellers of the week.
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS
'Thorns to Competition' - You can order your copy online from here
IIPM Mumbai Campus
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