Congress without Trinamool

"Mamata Banerjee will do anything to enhance her political image, even if this means humiliating her senior colleagues. By obtaining the resignation of Railway Minister, she is hoping to project herself as the sole champion of the poor, as someone who is able to push and prod the UPA into working for the greater common good. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Congress without Trinamool:  Each time, as she maximises her political mileage, the Congress ends up looking a clueless pivot of a rudderless government.

Bite The Bullet

Reducing the subsidy bill will have multiple benefits

Bite The Bullet

-The Times of India, March 19, 2012

Time To Talk

UPA must work together better

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Time-to-talk/articleshow/12236007.cms

Lack of an "effective consultative mechanism to thrash out contentious issues," and insufficient communication with allies, the editorial says, has led to "UPA's trust deficit, hurting its image and policy-making."

-The Times of India, March 13, 2012

The UPA’s Committee Raj

In India, the best way of procrastination today is to form committees. The government, in its second stint in the center has been plagued by various problems and has found an ideal way to come out of this: form committees and let people forget it. In this column, Shankkar Aiyar exposes this brilliant 'problem camouflage tool' the government has developed, by pointing out to the various committees created during the UPA regime and their ineffectiveness to do anything towards the problem. And it is not just the government, but also the President's office, with its own committee exposing how much the country is being swamped by 'Committee Raj'.


http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/columnists/the-upa%E2%80%99s-committee-raj/367052.html

"When the UPA first came to power, I had studied this phenomenon of Committee Raj and discovered that in its first 11 months of existence, it had created 56 committees, roughly one a week."

"It is a spectacle. The government waits for committees to recommend, and committees wait for the government to act. It makes you wonder if the committees are a means to an end or an end in itself."

Slow Train Coming

Only a drastic change in government policy can make a difference to Indian Railways

Slow Train Coming

The Indian Railways has consistently eluded reform, says the editor. Right from the speeds at which trains run to passenger fairs, the Indian Railways lags much behind International standards. It is in UPA's interests to "rescue Indian Railways from becoming an antique relic."

-The Times of India, February 13, 2012

Mess In Telecom

Following Supreme Court verdict, government needs to bat for the consumer

Mess In Telecom

-The Times of India, February 3, 2012

By cancelling all of the 122 2G spectrum licenses, the Supreme Court has sent a "tough message." That it pursues zero tolerance towards irregular grant of spectrum licenses is clear and welcome.

However, by directing TRAI to propose new allocation process, is the judicial branch stepping into the executive domain?

The government now faces the need to bat for the consumer, who may undergo some trouble through a change in telecom policy. The apprehension in the telecom policy may well lead telecom giants to incorporate changes that may not suit the customer, in which case, the government has to frame "pricing policy in ways that facilitate rather than inhibit expansion of mobile connectivity in the country."

Welcome Ruling

Citizens can seek sanction to prosecute public servants

Welcome Ruling

-The Times of India, February 2, 2012

The supreme court recently upheld a "citizen's right to file a complaint leading to the prosecution of public servants for corruption, including ministers, MPs and MLAs."

This is most certainly a welcome change.

Wipe The Slate Clean

For sustaining India's growth story, we must reinvent government and the way it works


Wipe The Slate Clean

-The Times of India, January 9, 2012

A Watchdog Needs Teeth

Only public pressure on the political class will ensure a strong and effective Lokpal


A Watchdog Needs Teeth

-The Times of India, January 7, 2012

A prime minister in peril

A prime minister in peril:

- From warm welcome to disappointing failure

"These successive failures signal a character trait that one does not usually associate with upright and intelligent individuals —namely, a rather desperate desire to cling to office, at whatever cost to one’s reputation, one’s party, and one’s nation."

Article by Ramachandra Guha

Fleedom At Midnight

Rajya Sabha's dud Lokpal session won't go down as politicians' hour of glory


Article - Fleedom At Midnight

-The Times of India, December 31, 2011

Last days, lasting show

Let's see how real life rewound reel life as we come to 2011 Ka The End


Article - Last days, lasting show

-The Times of India, December 29, 2011

Focus Bengal

Will Mamata the administrator please stand up?


Article - Focus Bengal

-The Times of India, December 26, 2011