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M Venkaiah Naidu
The Congress-led UPA, now popularly reclaimed by the people as Unethical Practices Alliance and Unfulfilled Promises Alliance, at the Centre in its second stint has completed two years in office. To say the least, its performance is thoroughly disappointing. Not to speak of any positive and significant achievements, it has failed miserably to live up to even the basic expectations of the people. People have given it mandate for a second term in the hope of reaping benefits of the promises doled out by it during elections. Promises piled up but remain unfulfilled — Ornamental time-bound agendas announced but remain unimplemented. The UPA-II started its term with a flurry of announcements of 100-day agenda by several Ministers. More than 700 days later, hardly Minister remembers those agendas. There has been a huge disconnect between the rulers and the ruled.
The UPA-II regime is marked by absence of good governance. The list of unfulfilled promises is unending; right to food, right to education (only bill no political will), Bharat Nirman, physical infrastructure in rural areas, six lane highways, nine per cent growth rate, law and land acquisition and rehabilitation, judicial and police reforms, natgrid to coordinated security, national commission to examine unorganised sector entrepreneurs and progress report to the people from time to time — nothing has been fulfilled. Apart from this over two dozen bills have been lapsed and 20 bills are pending for the past five years.
The head of the UPA, the Congress, is a divided house. Ministers have given up collective responsibility and blame each other for mis-governance. Cohesion and cooperation have become conspicuous more by their absence. The Ministers choose to adversely comment on their Governments departments on a foreign soil. Minister reads speech of another country at the highest international forum. Ministers, including the Prime Minister, are least bothered of the credibility of the institutions while taking critical decisions based on inaccurate facts and appoint a corruption case accused as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and made a partisan appointment in Election Commission. The appointment of Prasar Bharati CEO who had to be removed, and appointment of NHRC Chairman, is no difference. The Government suffers from serious competence deficit.
The Government let down the nation by consciously selecting Ministers in key infrastructural ministries such as Telecom and Highways who were low on the integrity quotient. It has failed not only to take any steps in furthering the reform proposals but also in creating infrastructure of global standards, neither the flagship schemes have resulted in any asset creation. Further, the interest rates have become so high rendering our industry non-competitive.
The two fundamental issues on which the UPA-II has completely failed are corruption and price rise.
Corruption
The UPA-2 has been the most dishonest Governments in the history. It is irony that a distinguished economist believed to be the most honest is heading the most corrupt regime in the independent India. The 2G scam involving a sum of `1,76,000 crore, perhaps the biggest scam ever that took place in the country, is the biggest shame on the UPA-II. Scams are stupendous and stunning. The scams that have seen the light are the scam of export and import of food grains involving thousands of crores of money, the CWG Scam involving 70,000 crores, the IPL scam, the S-Band spectrum scam involving the PMO, the Adarsh Soceity scam involving senior army/IAS officers and Ministers and startling and shocking telephone tapping to mobilise support and harass political opponents.
Inflation
The biggest failure of this Government has been its sheer inability to contain the spiraling price rise of essential commodities. The rise has been so continuous and so steep that the common man is unable to have even one-meal-a-day. The tremendous rise in food prices has hurt the poor the most. Price rise and food inflation is the comprehensive failure of economic policies including lack of foresight and proper planning, lack of leadership, sheer incompetence, massive corruption in export and import of food grains at all levels in Government.
For almost three years we had a double digit inflation in the Wholesale Price Index. Fiscal consolidation is no longer the priority of the government. The prices of essential food items are sky high. The petrol prices have been increased 20 times in the name of rationalisation.
Neglect of agriculture sector
The UPA’s policies have been anti-farmer. It has totally neglected the agriculture sector Food items became costlier and also scarcer. Farmers suffer on all counts. Thousands of farmers are committing suicide. The MSP of the paddy has not been raised by the Centre for the last two years. Not even one tonne of storage capacity is added in last seven years. There is no effort to implement Prof MS Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
Security & Goof-ups
Security of the country seems to be the least priority on Government’s agenda. Our defense preparedness is suffering because the ministry cannot take decisive action. The inexcusable goof-ups in the list of ‘most wanted’ given to Pakistan by the Home Ministry have made our nation a laughing stock in the international community. It shows the casual approach of the Government on such a sensitive security matter. There is no political leadership to guide the government and hence there is a divergent approach between the Party leadership and the Government.
Even on important and sensitive issues like internal security and Maoists, the ruling party is a divided house. Internal contradictions and lack of support between the ministers and coalition partners is forcing the Government to compromise on the security of the nation. The master minds of 26/11 are still roaming around freely in Pakistani streets and our ministers are busy having academic discussions with their Pakistani counterparts.
The threat of Maoist violence in several states and districts still remains. Nobody knows as to what is the Government policy towards Maoism!
Black money
The Centre is taking no action against those who have stashed thousands of crores of unaccounted money illegally in foreign shores despite repeated rebukes from the Supreme Court. Certainly their identities are to be made public. Why the government is so active in maintaining the secrecy for which after all the defaulters have to be prosecuted? Why the UPA Government is so keen and hell bent on protecting the tax-evaders?
Constitutional impropriety and step-motherly treatment meted out to non-UPA States
The only achievement of the UPA-II is misusing the constitutional institutions for political ends. The Congress party is adopting all unethical, extra constitutional and immoral method by misusing various institutions to further its political interests, harass political opponents and also muster support as and when needed. The UPA Government has used its intelligence and investigative agencies like CBI, Governors institution, income tax department to subvert democracy and serve its own interests. The Congress wants to rule the country by misusing the CBI, the Raj Bhavans etc. It has grossly misused the CBI in the State of Gujarat. It is misused to strike a deal with political parties when the need arises. The divergent affidavits which are filed in the cases of the SP and the BSP leaders by the CBI are the clear evidence of it being misused for striking political deals.
The classic case before us is Karnataka Governor Shri Bhardwaj’s repeated misadventures to oust the democratically elected popular Government in the State. The Congress party-led UPA at the Centre is the real Suthradhari (director) and the Governor Bharadwaj is only a pathradhari (actor) in this shameful drama. The script was written in Delhi and executived by Raj Bhawan in Bangalore. The history sheet of extra constitutionalism by the Governor makes him unfit to occupy a constitutional office and the BJP demands that he should be recalled immediately in the interest of the State of Karnataka.
There is a huge discrimination in the management of economy towards the non-Congress States. The UPA does not tolerate non-Congress Governments in the States. It continuously discriminates against the non-Congress States and extends step-motherly treatment on issues like natural calamities, power allocation and allotment of coal, sanction of rail projects etc.
In all it is like, ‘One step forward, three steps backward and situation is awkward and the country is moving backwards’.
The person is a former president of BJP
The Congress-led UPA, now popularly reclaimed by the people as Unethical Practices Alliance and Unfulfilled Promises Alliance, at the Centre in its second stint has completed two years in office. To say the least, its performance is thoroughly disappointing. Not to speak of any positive and significant achievements, it has failed miserably to live up to even the basic expectations of the people. People have given it mandate for a second term in the hope of reaping benefits of the promises doled out by it during elections. Promises piled up but remain unfulfilled — Ornamental time-bound agendas announced but remain unimplemented. The UPA-II started its term with a flurry of announcements of 100-day agenda by several Ministers. More than 700 days later, hardly Minister remembers those agendas. There has been a huge disconnect between the rulers and the ruled.
The UPA-II regime is marked by absence of good governance. The list of unfulfilled promises is unending; right to food, right to education (only bill no political will), Bharat Nirman, physical infrastructure in rural areas, six lane highways, nine per cent growth rate, law and land acquisition and rehabilitation, judicial and police reforms, natgrid to coordinated security, national commission to examine unorganised sector entrepreneurs and progress report to the people from time to time — nothing has been fulfilled. Apart from this over two dozen bills have been lapsed and 20 bills are pending for the past five years.
The head of the UPA, the Congress, is a divided house. Ministers have given up collective responsibility and blame each other for mis-governance. Cohesion and cooperation have become conspicuous more by their absence. The Ministers choose to adversely comment on their Governments departments on a foreign soil. Minister reads speech of another country at the highest international forum. Ministers, including the Prime Minister, are least bothered of the credibility of the institutions while taking critical decisions based on inaccurate facts and appoint a corruption case accused as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and made a partisan appointment in Election Commission. The appointment of Prasar Bharati CEO who had to be removed, and appointment of NHRC Chairman, is no difference. The Government suffers from serious competence deficit.
The Government let down the nation by consciously selecting Ministers in key infrastructural ministries such as Telecom and Highways who were low on the integrity quotient. It has failed not only to take any steps in furthering the reform proposals but also in creating infrastructure of global standards, neither the flagship schemes have resulted in any asset creation. Further, the interest rates have become so high rendering our industry non-competitive.
The two fundamental issues on which the UPA-II has completely failed are corruption and price rise.
Corruption
The UPA-2 has been the most dishonest Governments in the history. It is irony that a distinguished economist believed to be the most honest is heading the most corrupt regime in the independent India. The 2G scam involving a sum of `1,76,000 crore, perhaps the biggest scam ever that took place in the country, is the biggest shame on the UPA-II. Scams are stupendous and stunning. The scams that have seen the light are the scam of export and import of food grains involving thousands of crores of money, the CWG Scam involving 70,000 crores, the IPL scam, the S-Band spectrum scam involving the PMO, the Adarsh Soceity scam involving senior army/IAS officers and Ministers and startling and shocking telephone tapping to mobilise support and harass political opponents.
Inflation
The biggest failure of this Government has been its sheer inability to contain the spiraling price rise of essential commodities. The rise has been so continuous and so steep that the common man is unable to have even one-meal-a-day. The tremendous rise in food prices has hurt the poor the most. Price rise and food inflation is the comprehensive failure of economic policies including lack of foresight and proper planning, lack of leadership, sheer incompetence, massive corruption in export and import of food grains at all levels in Government.
For almost three years we had a double digit inflation in the Wholesale Price Index. Fiscal consolidation is no longer the priority of the government. The prices of essential food items are sky high. The petrol prices have been increased 20 times in the name of rationalisation.
Neglect of agriculture sector
The UPA’s policies have been anti-farmer. It has totally neglected the agriculture sector Food items became costlier and also scarcer. Farmers suffer on all counts. Thousands of farmers are committing suicide. The MSP of the paddy has not been raised by the Centre for the last two years. Not even one tonne of storage capacity is added in last seven years. There is no effort to implement Prof MS Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
Security & Goof-ups
Security of the country seems to be the least priority on Government’s agenda. Our defense preparedness is suffering because the ministry cannot take decisive action. The inexcusable goof-ups in the list of ‘most wanted’ given to Pakistan by the Home Ministry have made our nation a laughing stock in the international community. It shows the casual approach of the Government on such a sensitive security matter. There is no political leadership to guide the government and hence there is a divergent approach between the Party leadership and the Government.
Even on important and sensitive issues like internal security and Maoists, the ruling party is a divided house. Internal contradictions and lack of support between the ministers and coalition partners is forcing the Government to compromise on the security of the nation. The master minds of 26/11 are still roaming around freely in Pakistani streets and our ministers are busy having academic discussions with their Pakistani counterparts.
The threat of Maoist violence in several states and districts still remains. Nobody knows as to what is the Government policy towards Maoism!
Black money
The Centre is taking no action against those who have stashed thousands of crores of unaccounted money illegally in foreign shores despite repeated rebukes from the Supreme Court. Certainly their identities are to be made public. Why the government is so active in maintaining the secrecy for which after all the defaulters have to be prosecuted? Why the UPA Government is so keen and hell bent on protecting the tax-evaders?
Constitutional impropriety and step-motherly treatment meted out to non-UPA States
The only achievement of the UPA-II is misusing the constitutional institutions for political ends. The Congress party is adopting all unethical, extra constitutional and immoral method by misusing various institutions to further its political interests, harass political opponents and also muster support as and when needed. The UPA Government has used its intelligence and investigative agencies like CBI, Governors institution, income tax department to subvert democracy and serve its own interests. The Congress wants to rule the country by misusing the CBI, the Raj Bhavans etc. It has grossly misused the CBI in the State of Gujarat. It is misused to strike a deal with political parties when the need arises. The divergent affidavits which are filed in the cases of the SP and the BSP leaders by the CBI are the clear evidence of it being misused for striking political deals.
The classic case before us is Karnataka Governor Shri Bhardwaj’s repeated misadventures to oust the democratically elected popular Government in the State. The Congress party-led UPA at the Centre is the real Suthradhari (director) and the Governor Bharadwaj is only a pathradhari (actor) in this shameful drama. The script was written in Delhi and executived by Raj Bhawan in Bangalore. The history sheet of extra constitutionalism by the Governor makes him unfit to occupy a constitutional office and the BJP demands that he should be recalled immediately in the interest of the State of Karnataka.
There is a huge discrimination in the management of economy towards the non-Congress States. The UPA does not tolerate non-Congress Governments in the States. It continuously discriminates against the non-Congress States and extends step-motherly treatment on issues like natural calamities, power allocation and allotment of coal, sanction of rail projects etc.
In all it is like, ‘One step forward, three steps backward and situation is awkward and the country is moving backwards’.
The person is a former president of BJP
