JOIN USLahore stop-over uncalled for, demonetisation goals not met yet: Pranab Mukherjee in autobiography
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a penchant for "dramatic" actions, be it his stopover in Lahore on Christmas Day in 2015 or the surprise announcement on demonetisation, but Pranab Mukjerhee appeared unconvinced about the two decisions taken by the government during his presidency.
Mukherjee found the unscheduled halt to greet the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on his birthday "unnecessary and uncalled" for given the "conditions that prevailed in India-Pakistan relations" while he was of the view that the "multiple objectives" of demonetisation "have not been met" even after four years of its implementation.
The fourth volume of Mukherjee's autobiography 'The Presidential Years: 2012-2017', released on Tuesday, also puts the "primary responsibility" for the disruptions in Parliament in 2014-19 to the Modi government and attribute it to its "arrogance and inept handling" even as he insists that the Opposition is "not without blame either''. He also advises him to be present in Parliament more often and must "listen to the dissenting voices and speak more often" in the House.
Mukherjee passed away on August 31 last year soon after clearing the final draft of the fourth volume of his autobiography.
Earlier, DH had, reported excerpts of the autobiography in which Mukherjee said Modi employed a "rather autocratic style of functioning" in his first term while former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was “pre-occupied” with saving the UPA that took a toll on governance while Sonia Gandhi was “unable” to handle Congress affairs and “lost” political focus ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Mukherjee, who had unsuccessfully argued for demonetisation during Indira Gandhi's government in the 1970s, has said that the Prime Minister did not discuss this issue with him before November 8, 2016 and he came to know about it from Modi's televised address at 8 PM like the rest of the country that day.
Soon after the address, Modi drove to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to explain the rationale and seek the President's "explicit support", which he gave through a statement but after cautioning that it could lead to slowing down the economy and whether the government has ensured adequate currency for exchange.
Mukherjee went on to say that there was "no doubt" that demonetisation and the consequential decisions of the government have had an "adverse impact" on the economy and GDP growth, resulting in an "increase in unemployment in the medium term" and the informal sector, which dealt with cash, was "hurt severely".
"However, it is difficult to assess the exact impact of demonetisation, close to four years after it was implemented. But perhaps one thing can be stated without fear of contradiction: that the multiple objectives of the decision of demonetization, as stated by the government, to bring back black money, paralyse the operation of the black economy and facilitate a cashless society, etc., have not been met," he added.
However on the other contentious issue of Goods and Service Tax (GST, he said it has "happened for the good".
Referring to the Prime Minister's stop-over in Lahore, Mukherjee has said that it was evident that one could expect the unexpected" from Modi, because he had come with no ideological foreign policy baggage. He said was to continue with surprises and also cited the annual informal summit with Chinese president Xi Jingping.
On Modi's performance in Parliament, Mukherjee had a piece of advice. He said the mere physical presence of the Prime Minister in Parliament makes a tremendous difference to the functioning of this institution and cited the examples of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, A B Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, who made their presence felt on the floor of the House.
"PM Modi, now in his second term, must take inspiration from his predecessors and provide visible leadership, through his enhanced presence in Parliament to avoid situations that had precipitated the parliamentary crisis we witnessed in the first term. He must listen to the dissenting voices and speak more often in Parliament," he said.
Mukherjee also said that Modi should use it as a forum to disseminate his views to convince the Opposition and inform the nation.