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His Last Chance

For almost a decade, Dr Manmohan Singh has failed to deliver the goods when it comes to decent economic policy making governed by common sense. Given his background and past experience, this has come as an unpleasant surprise to all Indians. This coming budget is perhaps his last opportunity to stamp his authority and secure his place in history. He can still remain silent; but his policies must do the talking for him

“The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.”

“Leadership is about solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded that you do not care. Either is a failure of leadership.”

“This light of history is pitiless; it has a strange and divine quality that, luminous as it is, and precisely because it is luminous, often casts a shadow just where we saw a radiance; out of the same man it makes two different phantoms, and the one attacks and punishes the other, the darkness of the despot struggles with the splendor of the captain. Hence a truer measure in the final judgment of the nations. Babylon violated diminishes Alexander; Rome enslaved diminishes Caesar; massacred Jerusalem diminishes Titus. Tyranny follows the tyrant. Woe to the man who leaves behind a shadow that bears his form.”

This is the thirteenth time in 13 years that I am starting the presentation of my Alternative Budget. Yes, my friends and dear readers, it has been 13 years since I first presented a set of suggestions to the then Union finance minister and branded it as an Alternative Budget (of course Dr. Malay Chaudhuri – the Founder Director of IIPM – had been writing budget alternatives for many years before that and our jointly authored book, The Great Indian Dream, also deals with the same in a great detail). There have been a few, rare occasions when finance ministers have unveiled proposals that have made me hopeful about the future of India. On most occasions, the budgets have been a series of fatuous statements and flogged-to-death proposals that have done virtually nothing to make a difference to the fundamental problems that confront India. But I don’t need to repeat and rehash a list of those proposals since every Indian with some knowledge of economics and some common sense knows that budgets have been a spectacular and persistent failure when it comes to solving India’s problems.

Comments

rajat said…
Our prime minister clearly proven to be incapable.....
We really need such articles to open our eyes towards these politicians.
Mukesh kumar said…

Dr Singh still carries the aura of unimpeachable integrity and personal financial honesty in public life.
sanjay said…
Manmohan Singh doesn't deseve to be our prime minister.
sunita said…
Dr.Singh has failed to say NO
Unknown said…
We all know manmohan Singh is not doing work for our country but doing job for Sonia Gandhi.
diljeet kaur said…
Do something for poor people Dr.Manmohan singh.
Mamta said…
Dr. Singh wants to be the Prime Minister who overcame all obstacles and actually managed to normalize relations with Pakistan.
tripati sharma said…
In our country,every individual is corrupted either talks about Police department or talks about transport department.
Unknown said…
Hey guys,
Wanted to share some stuff with you. I used Vistaprint for some embroidered t-shirts with logo. Damn impressed. Check it out if you can.
Dr. Soni said…
Mr. Arindam Choudhary , stop all these things, & pay your employees salary. From August you dont have the money to pay the salaries. Shame on you . If you are not able to pay why do you hire them . I am planning to take legal action.Many of your faculties will do the same...
Dr. Soni said…
teaching in IIPM is a bad debt .

Dr. Soni said…
teaching in IIPM is a bad debt .
Dr. Soni said…
how are u saying anything on budget when you are not having anykind of budget for your institue

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