Manmohan Under Attack, Why?

Suddenly, Indian government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have come under sharp attack of international community. Recently, the Time of the US, the Independent of the UK and US President Barak Obama have criticized Manmohan Singh in no uncertain terms. Each of them chose to lash out at the UPA II government and Singh for their failure to push economic reforms in India. This trend of taking on a ‘proclaimed world leader’ and eminent economist is, somehow, baffling and it smacks of some other inherent designs.

Let’s first see the case of the Time magazine, which carried out a cover story on Manmohan Singh dubbing him as an underachiever and concluding that India’s economic software had crashed and needed to reboot. The magazine wants India to reboot itself. But, for whom? India or the crashing hardware of the US and Europe’s economy? Surely, the Time is not so generous to think of India exclusively. It didn’t think of any such reboot while India was going through a worse phase and the US and the European Union were in sound economic health.

The Independent, a daily in the UK took cue from the Time, but went far ahead in castigating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It termed the Prime Minister as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s Poodle, a breed of dogs.  How audacious this daily is! And, why for? If Indian economy is in tatters, if we accept the west’s parochial definition of the economy slowdown and policy paralysis in India, why should a newspaper of the UK be so worried and anguished that it resorts to profanity against the Prime Minister?

While the dust caused in motion had not settled yet that the US President Barak Obama found fault with India’s economic policies, thus attacking economist Manmohan Singh. Obama found Manmohanomics obstructive in nature and that it did not allow foreign direct investments in many sectors in India. He practically went ahead to blame India for economic downturn in the EU and the US.

Thankfully, this time around the Indian politicians stood by the government while lashing out at Obama for targeting India and infringing upon its sovereign (albeit, hugely diluted) right to choose its economic course. It was nice to see BJP leader and former Yashwant Sinha come out and take on Obama and the US’ hegemonistic tactic in exhorting India to expand reforms. India cannot and should not be dictated by the US or any other country or bloc.

Clearly, the pressure that is being applied on the Indian establishment led by Manmohan Singh is an attempt by the west to seek more ground for their big corporations, which are rapidly going bankrupt putting enormous socialistic burden on the capitalist governments. India and China can easily provide them the required space as these countries have big areas, resources and markets/ population.

While China has improved its technology and has socialistic capital to take on both the capitalist capital and market, India is an easy hunting ground for the US and the EU. They hope that if India opens up more sectors for their corporate money, it would help them revive their markets and sentiments. This explains why there has been an entire gamut of sustained efforts through leadership, diplomacy and press to put question the credibility of Manmohan Singh his UPA II government.

This is where Manmohan Singh government’s policy paralysis is working in India’s favour. If the much criticized policy paralysis is a conscious effort by this government, it is praiseworthy. There is no reason as to why should India be used as a growth engine for the EU and the US.