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Barely a fortnight after Inder Kumar Gujral was pitchforked into the Prime
Minister's chair, there are disturbing indications that he is allowing himself to
be intimidated by his elevation to the top job.
He had assumed power amidst widespread scepticism about whether a gentleman
politician would have the required savvy to run such a ramshackle and volatile
outfit like the United Front, dependent as it was on an unreliable Congress. At
the same time however, the overwhelming public disenchantment with rough and tough
politicos did generate considerable goodwill for the new Prime Minister. Indeed,
Gujral's only survival strategy lay in quickly imprinting his own stamp on the
Government and creating a new constituency for himself.
Unfortunately, the new Prime Minister has made a most inauspicious beginning. Far
from consolidating his position, Gujral has already fumbled twice in succession
providing his detractors a stick to beat him with.
He has got embroiled in a needless tangle over the appointment of a friend and
adviser as a key official in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Gujral has
compounded matters by making inexplicable claims taking "credit" for allowing, the
refuelling of US military aircraft during the Gulf crisis seven years ago. What is
worse, on both occasions, the Prime Minister has beaten a hasty retreat at the
first sign of controversy, giving the impression of a leader who is not sure of
himself.
Clearly, the Prime Minister has only himself to blame for the Bhabani Sengupta
fiasco. It has been well known for the past many years in the Foreign Office and
diplomatic circles that Sengupta, a foreign policy expert, was close to Gujral who
often consulted him. Ironically, this did not raise any controversy whatsoever
during Gujral's two stints as Foreign Minister.
However, the sudden and surprise appointment of Sengupta as the Officer on Special
Duty (OSD) in the PMO astounded even close associates, friends and relatives of
Gujral. Not only did the foreign policy expert hold views on the bomb and India's
border dispute with Pakistan which departed from the official line but he also
vociferously espoused them in public. hardly the qualities needed from an OSD -
ideally a self-effacing hatchet man.
Not surprisingly, within a day of his appointment, Sengupta plunged into
controversy. Provocative articles and interviews appeared in newspapers and a
23-year-old letter written by him to The New York Times debunking the Pokhran
nuclear experiment, was promptly produced. The Prime Minister was badgered and
baited in Parliament by leaders like Chandra Sekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee as
MPs cutting across party lines rubbished the hapless foreign policy expert.
The fact that Gujral did not offer even a word of explanation in Parliament or
outside for his controversial decision to appoint Sengupta whose resignation was
announced by the Principal Information Officer on the same day, further harmed the
Prime Minister's image. Surely, even if Gujral was keen to limit the damage
caused, he needed to atleast clarify the circumstances under which a key official
was appointed to his office only to be removed the next day.
A similar lack of finesse was displayed by the Prime Minister while handling the
even more pointless controversy about who allowed the refuelling of US military
aircraft during the Gulf crisis. Mysteriously, Gujral in one of his first
interviews after assuming power, sought to send a signal to Washington by claiming
that it was lie as Foreign Minister in the V P Singh Government who had granted
permission to American warplanes to use facilities on Indian soil.
This has led to considerable confusion. Considering that the Chandra Sekhar
Government had already taken over when US military aircraft refuelled in this
country, Gujral's claim was promptly contested by the former Prime Minister who
forcefully raised the issue in Parliament.
Once again, the Prime Minister was put on the defensive. As a matter of fact, he
was reduced to virtually retracting his own interview on television. In the end,
Gujral cut a sorry figure mumbling his way through a half-baked explanation on how
he did not mean exactly what he said.
Although, the two successive faux pas made by the Prime Minister do not by
themselves represent major mistakes in governance, they have nevertheless made him
look a weak and vacillating leader - an image which is hardly going to make it
easier for him to survive the troubled times ahead.
Gujral himself is quite clearly rattled and this may well affect any possible
plans to expand his Council of ministers. With the sole exception of inducting
Jaipal Reddy as Information and Broadcasting Minister, the Prime Minister has been
unable so far to craft his own ministerial team.
It is true that in a coalition government like the United Front, certain
limitations like giving representation to all the constituents and powerful
leaders does handicap the Prime Minister in constituting his Cabinet. Yet at the
same time, it is most necessary for Gujral to work within these parameters to
impose his authority as the leader.
There has also been a lack of decisiveness on the part of the Prime Minister while
tackling political bullies like the Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.
While Gujral's reluctance to openly confront his own party president is
understandable, there is no reason why he should assume the role of a virtual
bystander in the whole controversy over the fodder seam.
All prime ministers need to assert themselves removing any doubt about who takes
the final decision. But in Gujral's case, this essential attribute of the top
leader is even more crucial considering that there are so many powerbrokers within
the United Front and outside who are seeking to impose their agenda on the Prime
Minister,
It is important for Gujral to distinguish between being a lame duck Prime Minister
and one who is flexible enough to accommodate different leaders and factions.
While it makes eminent sense for him to constantly craft a political compromise to
enable to survival of the Government, it would be disastrous if he were to give
the impression of being vulnerable to threats and blackmail.
Indeed, he himself had managed to accomplish a lot as Foreign Minister by doggedly
taking initiatives on Bangladesh and Pakistan despite both that a Foreign Minister
who seemed to be so sure of himself has made such a tentative start as Prime
Minister.
Gujral can also take a few lessons from his Cabinet colleague Finance Minister P
Chidambaram who has managed to earn so many kudos by producing a bold and
imaginative budget despite so many constraints from the Left and other supporting
parties. He has done so by simply calling the bluff of his detractors who have
their own compulsions to support the political status quo.
There is time yet for the Prime Minister to learn from his mistakes of the past
fortnight and adopt a more decisive style of functioning. On the other hand,
floundering around as just a nice guy will be the surest way of courting disaster.
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