Two more years to go, UPA-II already looks a caretaker govt

When the United Progressive Alliance government (UPA-II) took office on this day ( May 22) in 2009, it was on a high having got re-elected and a ticket to rule for another five years.

The Congress-led coalition was not sure of getting a positive mandate as its rule from 2004 was mostly known for its tension-filled ties with the supporting Left parties who were accused of blocking most of its decisions.

Still, UPA secured a five-year term trouncing the main rival BJP which found itself crestfallen at the result. The coalition and Congress now had more number of seats and were expected to do better than what they did than in their first innings. Landmark decisions giving shape to schemes like the rural employment which were seen as being the drivers in bringing the UPA back to power had given a new confidence to the coalition leaders.

Three years later, the situation  is drastically different. The high of 2009 is nowhere to be found. With two years still to go for its term to be completed, the UPA-II is being called a lame-duck, caretaker government, that it is living on borrowed time and may face elections any time.

Its administration has come in for strong criticism, be it for the economic crisis the country is facing with high inflation, lower growth and a devalued rupee. The failure of the government to take key decisions has made itself open to accusations of governance paralysis. The gloom that pervades economy had never been experienced any time in the past eight years of UPA rule.

Despite the accusations of it being a ‘decision-deficit’ government, the administration has done little to remove this  impression. There are attempts by allies to run it down. One such was the Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retailing which was stalled by the Trinamool Congress, which is not even allowing the government to increase the railway fares, not hiked for close to a decade!

The prime minister’s attempt in October last to give a re-look to his PMO has been mostly cosmetic and the outcome of such an exercise has not resulted in any major changes to governance. A distraught senior Congress leader remarked, “Even Deve Gowda and I K Gujral as prime ministers took decisions, which this government is unable to take freely.”

Decisions apart, several major scandals took serious toll of the image and credibility of the government. These scams allowed the civil society organisations to unitedly take on the government but fortunately for the government, ran out of steam mid-way. As a result, the Lokpal Bill, assiduously pursued by the civil society, is yet to be passed by Parliament.

Taking on a new front

If 2010-11 was spent by the government in responding to the charges of corruption in Commonwealth Games and 2G spectrum allocations, 2011-12 saw the government forced to take on a new front: its own army chief.

Gen V K Singh’s assertions relating to controversy over his date of birth showed the government in poor light, forcing the country’s highest court to bring the issue to a halt. With A K Antony, accused of being obsessed with maintaining his clean image as defence minister, barbs of lack of modernisation and procurement in Indian defence were frequently hurled.

The frequent arm-twisting indulged in by the allies has exposed the weakness of the Centre. Added to the failure to pass the Lokpal Bill in Rajya Sabha thanks mainly to the Trinamool reversing its decision of backing the draft legislation in Lok Sabha, is the interference of the regional parties in decision-making relating to foreign policy.

But then, did not the UPA-II do anything worthwhile, that may be remembered for long or impacted on the lives of large number of people like the job scheme? The Right to Education, despite some of its shortcomings, has been described as a game changer for the less-privileged sections of the society who can now dream of sending their children to better schools. 

The other legislation that is in the making, which the UPA hopes will play a positive role in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections is the Food Security Bill. Still in the making, the Bill seeks to cover 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent of urban population in the country.

The third positive would be the near normalisation of the India-Pakistan relations. After it hit a low in 2008 in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack, the tenuous relations are on the upswing following an informal visit of president Asif Ali Zardari, likely visit prime minister Manmohan Singh, possible resumption of cricketing ties, frequent official-level talks, improvement in trade relations and a likely ease of visa norms.

But then, positives are few and far between. Many, even within Congress, talk of leadership vacuum at the top with constant speculation that Manmohan Singh is about to be replaced, although there is no answer over the replacement. Scion Rahul Gandhi is seen as reluctant to take over.

The silence at the top makes things worse. The PM has hardly spoken in the last few months over the ills bothering his government. The Gandhis – Sonia and Rahul, who are seen as power behind the government – have rarely spoken, except at election rallies. All these have left the government open to accusations of drift and lacking in direction something that the UPA would have been happy to do without with just two years from elections.