President Pranab? Make him Prime Minister instead!

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride: that sort of sums up Pranab Mukherjee’s political progression over the decades. The Bengali babu has been a “prime minister-in-waiting” for some 30 years now – ever since he offered himself as a candidate right after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. But curiously, in a political culture where it is considered sinful to admit to an ambition for higher office, that exhibition of apparent eagerness has become the deadweight that has always kept him from rising to the top. Ever since then, hushed whispers of Pranab-da’s “political ambition” have echoed in the chambers of Congress durbar politics and served effectively to box him in as the perennial No. 2. He is the trusty workhorse who would – in his time – head as many as 18 ministerial working groups and be counted on to defuse the Congress’ countless political crises, but would always be kept just one step short of the summit that he seeks to scale. [caption id=“attachment_293383” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Pranab-da has his eyes on Mt Everest. Raisina Hill isn’t good enough.”]  [/caption] And now, at precisely the moment when the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh could do with a change at the top, it is looking to send its biggest political asset into semi-retirement as President. Pranab-da may have seen himself as a racehorse that had what it takes to get to 7, Race Course Road, but a UPA that is singularly lacking in imagination is putting him out to pasture in the Rashtrapati Bhavan’s manicured lawns. He is the mountaineer who had his eyes on scaling the Mount Everest of Indian politics but who is being forced to settle for a Raisina Hill posting. It’s not that the Presidency is an office unworthy of consideration, but the irony is that the UPA actually has a candidate who qualifies rather better for the office: Manmohan Singh. For all his demerits as a dysfunctional Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has – as Sushma Swaraj may put it – the “stature” to be President. He is still considered a man of personal integrity – something of a rarity in today’s political culture – and for all the criticism he receives at home, is widely respected among international leaders as a “guru” ( more here ). And when it comes to making anodyne speeches in a toneless voice – which appears to be the primary qualification required of a President – few can match Manmohan Singh. In fact, it is precisely the qualities that makes Manmohan Singh a rotten Prime Minister that could make him an ideal President. Of course, the argument against this is that Sonia Gandhi wants Manmohan Singh to keep the Prime Ministerial seat warm for Rahul Gandhi in the event that the UPA returns to power in 2014, and will therefore not want an “ambitious” Pranab-da to take up that office. With an enfeebled Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, she gets to control the real power without any of the responsibility. There is of course merit in that argument. But game theory principles suggest that such a calculation would be disastrous for the UPA in the longer term. The longer the current dysfunctional power-sharing arrangement continues, the more paralysed the government will be in the run-up to the next general election, and the less likely are the prospects of the UPA returning to power. On the other hand, having Pranab-da in as Prime Minister rids the UPA of the political liability associated with Manmohan Singh’s colourless record in office, shows up an “old new” face as representing the government, implants a political heavyweight in the top job, infuses some fresh energy into a jaded government – and could even enhance the UPA’s electoral prospects in 2014. Elevating Pranab-da will also destroy one of the shibboleths of Indian politics: that ambition in politics is a liability rather than an asset. The UPA clearly has a win-win formula on its hands: Kick Manmohan Singh upstairs, and get Pranab-da in as Prime Minister.