UPA @ 9

Sonia Gandhi moved to quell talk about a growing distance between the Congress and the prime minister and ruled out early general elections, seeking to draw a firm line under the two of the biggest uncertainties spooking the UPA.
Addressing a meeting to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the UPA, Gandhi said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been “carrying out his responsibilities with great dignity despite hostilities” and that her party “respects him and stands by him”. “There are calculated efforts, innuendos, misinformation and untruths being spread,” she told the Congress leaders assembled on the lawns of the prime minister’s official residence. Speaking to reporters after the function, her son and leader in waiting, Rahul Gandhi, too, rejected suggestions that two-leader system has become dysfunctional. “It has been a pleasant relationship for the past nine years and that is what it is.” He also amplified the message that Singh would remain very much in control of the government when he said that the party organisation was his priority. Sonia, who spoke after the release of a government report card that sought to highlight its many achievements, asserted that the UPA has a track record to run on. In what was clearly aimed at telling Congress workers that the party’s political narrative was still intact, she said that every section of society had benefitted during UPA’s nine year tenure.
She also used the occasion to dispel the growing impression that the government has lost the stamina to govern and that elections could be round the corner. “We still have time to fulfil our duties to our people,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi laid the blame for parliamentary paralysis solely at the doorstep of the opposition. “I can’t hide at deep sense of disappointment at the way Parliament has been prevented from functioning and fulfilling is role and obligations by principal opposition party. We offered to debate and discuss all issues, but Parliament wasn’t allowed to function due to obstructionist approach,” she said.
At the same time, she sought an across the aisle backing for her pet bills. “We want to make fervent plea to NDA and opposition parties to come together for passing food security, land acquisition and other important bills...”
The PM said the country saw an improved performance of economy and inclusive growth under the UPA. “We are the one of the fastest growing economies in the world, including the years where we saw a slowdown,” he said.
But unlike the last anniversary celebrations where Mulayam Singh’s participation helped Congress to drive home its point that the alliance could grow bigger, Wednesday’s event was only attended by smaller allies. This incidentally ensured a seat for SP discard Amar Singh at the high table occupied by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Lalu Yadav, Farooq Abdullah and BSP’s SC Mishra.
Amid Congress-JMM negotiations for propping up a government in Jharkhand, Shibu Soren’s nominee Sanjiv Kumar joined Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at the high table of UPA dinner. A visibly happy Ram Vilas Paswan joined the UPA leaders at the podium itself.

“Sitaron se aage jahaan aur bhi hain; abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain,” PM remarked, when asked about his tenure. Singh was quoting a couplet of Muhammad Iqbal, meaning ‘beyond stars, there are even more worlds; there are still even more tests of passion’.

ET Editorial :

It is tempting to posit survival as the biggest achievement of the UPA government’s second term. It never had a comfortable majority even in the Lok Sabha and then two of its biggest allies walked out, leaving UPA in a lurch. But it has successfully managed the contradictions among the Opposition to not only stay alive but also push through some sterling reforms, such as liberalising foreign investment in organised retail and airlines and kicking off the long-delayed decontrol of diesel prices, albeit in a kind of slow motion that a tortoise would sneer at. But survival has not been UPA’s sole achievement.
Power lines now connect 5.6 lakh villages. But this does not show up as an achievement because there is no power flowing through these lines — thanks to perennial coal shortages, poor regulation of tariffs and fuel prices and worse management of state electricity board finances. High-speed broadband is being rolled out to 2,50,000 panchayats. The Unique Identity programme has created the backbone for countrywide electronic banking, apart from potentially empowering millions of people to procure valid proof of identity that opens the way to bank accounts and assorted state benefits. These do not register as major achievements because they are not yet complete. But in two years’ time, rural power, rural data connectivity and financial inclusion would change the face of India as few things in India’s long history have.
A series of scams relating to UPA-I have haunted UPAII almost to paralysis for much of its term. Lack of internal cohesion within the government has not helped. The constitutional scheme of things is that different organs of the state would provide mutual checks and balances. During UPA-II, balance has been missing from the equation. An Opposition that has let truculence get the better of responsibility has made matters worse. But the UPA has no one to blame but itself for its failure to initiate the most vital reform India needs: to make political funding and expenditure transparent and accountable. And for its failure to communicate whatever it has achieved.