By solid achievements I mean those which can be seen and touched by the aam aadmi and for which Dr Singh’s government can take exclusive credit. Detoxification or cutting red tape or setting up a committee for recommending electoral reform won’t cut much ice. Dr Singh needs to remember that the one scheme of the Vajpayee government which caught the imagination was the very visible integrated highways programme.
Keeping inflation in check and ensuring the economy chugs along at 6 to 6.5 per cent seems to be an obvious area for concentration. Alas, for Atal Behari, this achievement and Shining India was not enough. However, if Dr Singh can manage a breakthrough with Pakistan, which means convincing President Musharraf that steady but not instant transformation in bilateral relations is the name of the game, and if economic ties and trade with Pakistan can be opened up—that I believe could become a platform for re-election. Clearly, carrying President Bush along in this gradualism is critical. Second, now that Laloo is an ally and likely to retain power in Bihar, the UPA can try and get the much-delayed Women’s Reservation Bill passed. Mulayam Singh’s opposition to this legislation may not prove an insurmountable roadblock.
The trick is not to try and solve all the nation’s problems at one go. Manmohan Singh must be selective and distinguish between what is desirable and what is feasible. The PM has to ensure that when the general election comes around, he goes to the country with at least two feathers in his cap.