Anarchy can't substitute governance, says Pranab

Warns against fractured mandate in LS polls

President Pranab Mukherjee on Republic Day eve said “populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance” and a fractured mandate in this year’s general election would be catastrophic for the nation.

Though President did not take the name of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had accepted that he was an anarchist during his sit-in near Rail Bhavan which had even drawn criticism from Supreme Court, he obliquely referred to the AAP when he said “equally dangerous is the rise of hypocrisy in public life”.

In his address to the nation telecast live on Saturday evening, President Mukherjee said: “Elections do not give any person the licence to flirt with illusions. Those who seek the trust of voters must promise only what is possible. Government is not a charity shop. Populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance. False promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage and that rage has one target: those in power”.

He also cautioned the government to deliver on promises with the “speed of a racehorse” and not at a “snail’s pace” as aspirational young Indians will not forgive betrayal of what was expected from parties to deliver.

Referring to agitations over formation of Telagana, Mukherjee, without naming the draft state reorganisation bill the AP Assembly has to refer back to him by the end of this month, said passions are rising over whether we should have smaller states to extend equitable development to all parts of a state.

“A debate is legitimate but it should conform to democratic norms. The politics of divide and rule has extracted a heavy price on our subcontinent. If we do not work together, nothing ever will work,” he stated.

Mukherjee also referred to the coming Lok Sabha elections, saying that a non-stable government this year will be catastrophic for the country.

When asked for his reaction on the President’s remarks, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav told TV journalists: “The President is right. The government is not a charity shop but a mechanism to help the citizens. I am sure the President observes everything that is going on in our country: Corruption and violence.”