Need A Hard Dose, Doc

What the nation is eagerly awaiting to see next year is some creative butchery from the PM. A ruthless, thorough and unsparing cabinet reshuffle, one in which the non-performers are rejected and performers rewarded. We expect to see fresh, dynamic faces in the new council of ministers. If Rahul Gandhi is unable or unwilling, it's his problem. He shouldn't become an obstacle to the induction of Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Let the PM shock and awe us with the audacity of the reshuffle. It's a win-win situation for him. I hope he is not too timid to grasp the opportunity.

No state secrets are being spilled when I reveal that the government does not have an impressive record, a list of achievements it can present. Some vote-catching schemes have been botched either through intent or negligence. What the PM can claim is that he has provided a relatively honest, stable, forward-looking, secular and sober administration which has tried to reach out. That's not saying much, but in these difficult times, policy triumphs which include even one verifiable, visible "achievement" are hard to come by. If it doesn't do anything stupid, the Congress should win around 170 seats. That's the best it can hope for.