Day: May 17, 2009

Change in West Bengal!

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So there’s change in West Bengal. Everyone, rejoice. It’s been a long time coming.

Personally, though, I have mixed feelings.

The CPI(M) has lost its position, which I think is a positive outcome. That’s one group of people who’ve messed up big time in West Bengal over many years. (Really, they should write a ‘What not to do’ manual of politics.)

But now, two questions remain. One, these are the National Elections, which means CPI(M) is still in power in WB. The State elections are two years away, where the CPI(M) must also be beaten handsomely for any real change to come in.

Two, and this is more important: If the CPI(M) do lose two years from now, who’s going to take over, and NOT make a mess of it? There are of course candidate(s) – even though I’m not sure the plural is really applicable – but is there really anyone who is capable of leading a government?

I’d like to think being CM needs a cool head, calmness in speech, and foresight. Those qualities are somehow hard to find in West Bengal, it seems. (A case in point: even though the Tata Nano project had its absurdities on the part of the government, what did anyone gain from driving Tata out of West Bengal? Shouldn’t that situation have been more maturely handled? [This is what I wrote, a few days before the Tatas decided to leave.])

Will the next REAL candidate step up please?

Dr. Manmohan Singh, PM (again)

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So the Indian National Congress has enough seats (with support, of course) to form a government. After a lot of flak about his being a mere ‘underling’ to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh has come through, and emphatically. Telegraph makes a point about Dr. Singh being more than a weak PM, and I think I agree.

I know, I don’t follow the news as closely as I’d like to, but I haven’t noticed any situation where the PM has done anything to put his position in scrutiny.

I am in general wary of politicians, but I think Dr. Singh has been one of the few politicians of the recent past who I have respect for: Mr. Atal B. Vajpayee as PM, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as President, Mr. Jaswant Singh as Foreign Minister under Mr. Vajpayee, and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee as Foreign Minister in this administration. Dr. Singh joins the list for being a dignified, respected, learned, and I’d like to say principled PM.

India thinks Dr. Singh is a good PM. I agree.

P.S.: Compare, if you will, with the character that we have for President of India at this time: she called for an women’s only IIT in her husband’s home town, soon after becoming the Head of State.

Building a new IIT? I can understand. A women’s only institute? I can at least see where she’s coming from. But at her husband’s home town? C’mon.

And this lady is the President of India.

P.P.S.: There’s another interesting incident about Mrs. Patil’s visit to Brazil (I think) and her son quietly making a personal trip to the US in the middle, but I won’t go into that as I couldn’t locate any relevant news article about that. (Can someone find me a link?)