Mr Prime Minister, please take note. Country needs a leader

His government has been held to ransom by the civil society. His ministers are grovelling before a Baba, who not long ago was a marginal player even in the world of spiritual gurus. A bizarre yet apparently carefully planned mix of public cause and politics has brought the country to a standstill. Where is the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the leader of the country, right now? He is nowhere visible. He has not yet come out with any reassuring word to the nation that things are in control — under his control, that is — and he will work a way out. [caption id=“attachment_19743” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Sincere, purposeful and honest, well, he could be defended as a person but not as a leader. AFP”]  [/caption] Manmohan has survived enough on the benefit of the doubt. Lack of political experience can no longer be a valid defence for his low key, rather insignificant, presence in all matters of national importance. He has been in politics long enough and he is definitely not intellectually incapable to grasp its intricacies. It increasingly appears he is making inexperience an excuse to shirk responsibility. Sincere, purposeful and honest, well, he could be defended as a person but not as a leader. He continues to be the faceless bureaucrat he was earlier. If his helplessness is the result of the power dynamics within the Congress, the country has lost patience with it. It is a problem the party and he himself have to sort out. It cannot go on feeling sorry for him forever. He has to stand up and deliver. Period. There’s a big difference between being reclusive and being indifferent. The absolute absence of communication from the head of the country is inexplicable. Obviously, it stems from the lack of clarity within the party on how to handle things. It does not help his cause that senior leaders follow agendas of their own and speak in different voices. Also, the overwhelming influence of party chief  Sonia Gandhi in matters of governance has made matters worse. However, that should not stop the leader of the nation from engaging people. The circumstances were similar during UPA 1. But he communicated far better compared to his present stint, particularly on the issue of the controversial civil nuclear bill and other matters. It’s a sad state of affairs indeed! One of the serious issues with the Lokpal is it would compromise the authority of the prime minister and the dignity of his office. But it has been compromised already. The Congress leadership has managed to reduce the incumbent of the highest legislative office to a puppet, remote controlling all his moves. The National Advisory Committee headed by Sonia is backseat driving the government by imposing policy decisions from outside. The committee has no constitutional standing but it is powerful enough to dictate terms to the prime minister. What more damage can the Lokpal cause? In the beginning, it was believed to be a reasonable arrangement. He headed the government, and Sonia, the party. She concentrated on managing the troublesome allies while he focussed on governance. She articulated the party’s position on issues while he took care to take a pragmatic call. The equation worked as long as both kept away from each other’s turf and shared an excellent personal rapport. In UPA II, that seems to have snapped. Sonia has assumed more powers for herself and cramped the space for Manmohan to operate. All the troubles of the government follows from the disconnect between the leaders. Coming back to the main question, why should the country bother about the complex equations within the Congress? It needs a leader, a reassuring presence at the top, and better communication from Manmohan Singh; he has fared miserably in this respect.