Get Well Soon, Mr.Manmohan Singh

By M H Ahssan

PM’s health in this time of crisis is a matter of concern.

Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital are expected to operate on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today. We wish him a speedy recovery. Pranab Mukherjee, a seasoned administrator and politician, will head the government in his absence. The UPA has evolved broad guidelines on national security and the economy and there is consensus among the allies on these issues. So, there is no cause for anxiety on matters of governance.

However, the leadership of Singh will be missed at this time of crisis when the country is battling twin threats of crossborder terrorism and economic slowdown. A new president with fresh ideas on Pakistan and Afghanistan has just assumed power in Washington. Singh, who personally steered India-US relations during the Bush presidency, will be missed by the Obama administration. But he has a competent replacement in Mukherjee, who has been talking to world leaders since taking over as minister for external affairs last year. But a new finance minister may be urgently needed. The finance ministry has been functioning under the guidance of the prime minister after P Chidambaram was shifted to home. A new finance minister may be better able to manage the economy during these difficult times than an acting prime minister. In Mukherjee’s case, he is far too preoccupied with a host of serious responsibilities, both administrative and political, to do justice to all the tasks of which he finds himself in charge suddenly.

The absence of Singh at the fag end of a reasonably successful term in office could impair the UPA’s strategy to fight the coming general elections. The UPA’s stability owes a lot to the two-pronged leadership of Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the former heading the government and the latter leading the party. The alliance would want to project this leadership model before the electorate. General elections are expected in April or May, but political parties are likely to go on a campaign mode soon. Singh is expected to be off work only for a month, but it may be difficult for him to hit the ground running immediately after a heart surgery. At 76, Singh is not exactly young.

That brings us to an important issue: Should the country not scout for younger leaders? Many names have cropped up as possible prime ministerial candidates in recent times, but few are young. Of course, experience is no less important than age in the choice of leadership, as BJP’s PM-in-waiting L K Advani recently said. But India must not be over-dependent on politicians in their 70s and 80s. Sure, they can deliver but occasionally it could be at the cost of their health. Political parties must realise the importance of grooming young leaders in a nation that has an overwhelmingly young demographic profile.