IN the wake of the Washington Post article calling Mr Manmohan Singh a
silent Prime Minister who has become a tragic figure and the brouhaha
that followed, his media advisor has said that the Prime Minister’s
office will soon come out with a statement to throw some light on what
keeps the man going despite all the criticism and scorn heaped on him.
After Time carried Mr Singh on its cover and called him “The Underachiever”, the Washington Post recently followed suit with a scathing article referring to the PM as “a dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government”. The article also carried some “earth-shattering facts” which the writer believed were previously unknown to Indians — that the PM was silent, weak and unable to deal with rampant corruption. The Prime Minister has, by now, gotten used to criticism at home. But he never imagined his countrymen would breach codes of secrecy and ethics to inform the foreign press. Jest Kidding learns the Law ministry is examining if the Indian people should be charged under the Official Secrets Act or for sedition — like the Mumbai cartoonist — for squealing to the foreign press.
Against this backdrop, hundreds of thousands of people in India are wondering what keeps Mr.Singh motivated. “He is an island of integrity in a vast ocean of depravity. He is weak, not just because he is not the No.1 in his party but also, as he himself acknowledged, because of powerful coalition partners. He is unable/unwilling to rein in his colleagues. India has witnessed some of the biggest scams under his watch. He has become the butt of every joke today,” an observer said. Even the article quoted a couple of MMS jokes. “Despite all the abuse hurled at this gentleman who was once greatly respected for overseeing the economic reforms of the country, I do not know what motivates him to continue,” said a farmer from Assam, succinctly capturing the sentiments of a large number of people.
Sensing the pulse of the people, the media advisor to the PM said yesterday, “Such doubts are completely legitimate. It is natural for anyone to be puzzled about what keeps the PM going and he has been made aware of this. Frankly, even I have thought about it quite a few times. In this context, the honourable Prime Minister has gracefully consented to issue a statement that would carry the answer to the million-dollar question, ‘What’s in it for him?’” Naturally, this announcement has led to great excitement across the nation.
After this article in the Post, Indians are eagerly awaiting the next issue of “Outlook India” as it is widely believed that US President Barack Obama would now be called a “tragic figure”.
In other related news, the Prime Minister rubbished rumours that he was considering retirement from politics in the near future. After meeting Rajya Sabha member Sachin Tendulkar at his official residence, the Prime Minister hinted at his being nominated to the Indian cricket team. However, he clarified that politics would remain his focus and that he would continue to remain in politics as long as he enjoyed his role as India’s PM.
Link: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=423002&catid=39
After Time carried Mr Singh on its cover and called him “The Underachiever”, the Washington Post recently followed suit with a scathing article referring to the PM as “a dithering, ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government”. The article also carried some “earth-shattering facts” which the writer believed were previously unknown to Indians — that the PM was silent, weak and unable to deal with rampant corruption. The Prime Minister has, by now, gotten used to criticism at home. But he never imagined his countrymen would breach codes of secrecy and ethics to inform the foreign press. Jest Kidding learns the Law ministry is examining if the Indian people should be charged under the Official Secrets Act or for sedition — like the Mumbai cartoonist — for squealing to the foreign press.
Against this backdrop, hundreds of thousands of people in India are wondering what keeps Mr.Singh motivated. “He is an island of integrity in a vast ocean of depravity. He is weak, not just because he is not the No.1 in his party but also, as he himself acknowledged, because of powerful coalition partners. He is unable/unwilling to rein in his colleagues. India has witnessed some of the biggest scams under his watch. He has become the butt of every joke today,” an observer said. Even the article quoted a couple of MMS jokes. “Despite all the abuse hurled at this gentleman who was once greatly respected for overseeing the economic reforms of the country, I do not know what motivates him to continue,” said a farmer from Assam, succinctly capturing the sentiments of a large number of people.
Sensing the pulse of the people, the media advisor to the PM said yesterday, “Such doubts are completely legitimate. It is natural for anyone to be puzzled about what keeps the PM going and he has been made aware of this. Frankly, even I have thought about it quite a few times. In this context, the honourable Prime Minister has gracefully consented to issue a statement that would carry the answer to the million-dollar question, ‘What’s in it for him?’” Naturally, this announcement has led to great excitement across the nation.
After this article in the Post, Indians are eagerly awaiting the next issue of “Outlook India” as it is widely believed that US President Barack Obama would now be called a “tragic figure”.
In other related news, the Prime Minister rubbished rumours that he was considering retirement from politics in the near future. After meeting Rajya Sabha member Sachin Tendulkar at his official residence, the Prime Minister hinted at his being nominated to the Indian cricket team. However, he clarified that politics would remain his focus and that he would continue to remain in politics as long as he enjoyed his role as India’s PM.
Link: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=423002&catid=39
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