Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Wanted: A Caretaker Prime Minister

BJP doesn't want the govt to fall next week. Its afraid that, if the govt were to fall now, Congress will turn the upcoming election into a referendum on the nuclear deal. BJP instead wants to fight the elections on the amazing ineptitude and non-governance of this UPA dispensation. This over-the-top strategizing is unwarranted.

BJP should be honest and stand by its (correct) assessment that Manmohan Singh has screwed up spectacularly in the 123 negotiations. Manmohan's selfish, legacy seeking haste in pushing through the deal will cause irreparable damage to our national interests. The only way Manmohan can be stopped in his nefarious designs is by unseating him. Nothing less is acceptable.

So here's an idea. Go flat out against Manmohan and bring his government down. Modi and Yeddyurappa can easily account for about a dozen Congress MPs pressing the wrong button next week. Once Manmohan has been defeated, he should also be prevented from remaining as care-taker prime minister. Otherwise he would gleefully sell his country to the other lame-duck govt in Washington.

BJP should announce outside support for a caretaker government (led by say Kuldip Nayyar) which will be acceptable to the Left/UNPA Parties as well. Have that government dissolve Parliament immediately, paving way for elections in October along with the five assembly polls.

And BJP (if it wins) can ofcourse negotiate a much more meaningful agreement with Barack Obama next summer.

5 comments:

samurai said...

balaji,do you suspect the credentials of the entire establishment?

just because the pm does not know how to sound like an advani or does not have the charisma of a gandhi,does he become less aware of the needs of our foreign policy.

Balaji Chitra Ganesan said...

ofcourse I suspect the credentials of this government. Diplomats might be doing a good job but the political management has been disastrous.

As for Manmohan Singh, when was the last time he said anything truthful about the deal? He has lied on every forum. How can anyone trust him?

samurai said...

where exactly was the lying done?

Balaji Chitra Ganesan said...

what happened to his statement last year in parliament that India would never sign an IAEA safeguards agreement as a non-nuclear weapon state?

why did he lie to the country that the Hyde Act will have no impact on the 123 agreement.

why did he lie to Karat that the IAEA draft was confidential and hence cannot be shown to Left?

why did Pranab say on July 8 that he had consulted Manmohan over phone and they would seek a confidence vote before approaching IAEA, when infact India had asked the draft to be circulated on July 7?

samurai said...

balaji,the technical aspects are still being debated threadbare while you are imagining them to have been lying.