The past week has been a flip-flop week, too many flops and embarrassing flips. The week started on a good note, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi presented a bold Railway budget with the innate vision to change the state of Indian railways. The focal points were:–
a. Safety;
b. Consolidation;
c. Decongestion and Capacity Augmentation;
d. Modernization;
e. Lower operating margins.
The rail budget quite spectacularly demonstrated that there is scope of improvement in our rail infrastructure. Mr. Trivedi’s budget had more plans for the future than self lauding testimony of achievements in the past year (something Mr. Trivedi’s predecessors Ms. Bannerjee and Mr. Yadav frequently resorted to).
The Indian Railway certainly requires a leader with vision and desire to change its existing predicament and to ensure its progress towards a future laden with accomplishments. But then came the biggest flop, the ever petulant child of UPA – TMC could not really comprehend and appraise the conation. I wonder how TMC contemplates to raise funds for the railway if not through marginally raising fares (2p/KM) for the most travelled segment of a train “the second class”. The pertinacity on a partial rollback of fares seems more like a politically motivated charade to woo, as the esteemed leaders address, the ‘aam junta’ than a well thought out plan for progress. Am sure if Mr. Trivedi’s plans were implemented in ‘Mission Mode’ as he envisioned them, then it would have created numerous employment opportunities and, which in turn would have ensured the uplift of the ‘aam junta'.
By the way I really detest the phrase ‘aam junta’ we are probably the only nation in the world that calls the esteemed citizens of the country – “common people”. Are we still in the shackles of despotism? I honestly believe that commoners, courtiers and royalty are things of past! We are in a democracy and our elected representatives are not the Monarchs of this country, they rather are a set of people entrusted to run the society and duly paid for their efforts. Is there a country in the world that truly imbibes the principles of democracy, where the elected representative is the ‘aam aadmi’ and not his electorate?
Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, the young and dynamic leader of UP, with hopes of the electorate pinned on him, formed a cabinet of 47 ministers, and guess the flip - 28/47 minister have pending criminal charges against them. So hope at your own risk! Governance of UP could turn out to be big FLOP!
Another flop was the Union budget, I mean it never had anything that one could rejoice about and the tax levy on sale of equity above fair market price @ 30% would surely sour the rate of P/E & VC funding to startups.
Flip-flop at Asia cup is atleast less soul-wrenching: Sachin scored the century of centuries and then came the archetypal flop - India lost that very match (quite like rail budget and TMCs reaction to it). Now, though India won against Pakistan yet our hopes to play the final depend on Sri Lanka and unlike last time, we hope they win today!
Thanks for reading! J
Very well wrtten!
ReplyDeleteforget MBA, consider writing, very well articulated
ReplyDeleteNice one Dutta.
ReplyDeleteMy point of view is simple. In the dharma of coalition politics that has taken over our democracy, a visionary at the middle level is a misnomer. To me Dinesh Trivedi simply read out the budget which was given to him to Congress, MSA and the railways. The budget was good. But Trivedi is not from the congress but from the TMC and if you do not keep your party head in the loop you are simply calling for trouble. Hence the reaction from mamata. Also if we start drawing parallel scenarios, could a congress minister have presented a railway budget without the backing of Madam/Pranab. I do not think so. Same would apply to all parties.
I couldnt agree more about the coalition part... the inherent problem i guess is coalition politics.. the UP electorate voted SP to clear majority, but then their hopes have apparently been shattered.. so the next elections may again result in a hung assembly unless Mr. Yadav saved a miracle up his sleeve.. so its basically out of the frying pan into the fire...!
DeleteWell Mamata has WB on her plate and if news has to believed the situation is not very promising... the "poriborton" is still too far a reality... and Mr. Trivedi or any other central leader should not be required to ratify all their moves/decisions from Mamata... i believe atleast Mr Trivedi was well equipped to make decisions as cabinet minister...
In the case of UP, their hopes were already meant to be shattered. The ground reality is very very different from what television channels present to us. UP, I think is a very complicated game. But with Akhilesh, I think I would always give him a 6 month honeymoon period before we can take a call. Yes he has promised more than what he can afford. Let us wait and watch.
DeleteOn the second point, constitutionally the minister(cabinet or otherwise) would be reporting to his boss i.e.the PM but such are the vagaries of coalition politics, that this does not always work out. The idea is that the party should always be in the loop. Dinesh Trivedi did not formulate this budget, rather I would say hats off to the set of people who did. He just read it out and could have kept his party in the loop. Its a bigger game here that I think is unfolding.
Bengal's "poriborton" is something all of us are keenly looking forward to but after 34 years of what has been done, dont you think 2-3 years should be given to this government. Not that I am too happy with what I have seen so far. :)
You do have a way with words
ReplyDeleteVery well written!!!
ReplyDeleteThe thorn in Didi's flesh from the Railway budget was the price hike. Honestly speaking, to achieve whatever Minister Trivedi proposed, we need much more than 'chillar' that Railways would get from the price hike. Even though I think railway prices being the same for last decade when price of every thing else is sky rocketing is ridiculous, the fact of the matter is this price hike was inserted in the budget at the behest of Congress, probably to irk Didi so much that she would walk out of the coalition with Netaji waiting to be welcomed by open arms of Congress. (probably after a vote of confidence in the Parliament)
Its hard to imagine that Pronob Babu cleared this budget without expecting the wrath from Didi.
Coming to UP, I think it will take Akilesh a while to re haul SP's engine. Right now we all can see the dichotomy in his 'talk and walk'. But we need to cut some slack for the guy. If he is honest enough, I would predict he may be able to bring some change in the second half of his term or probably in the next.
Another Flop in the making was Yeddi giving yet another deadline to Gadkari to 'return' his Gaddi back to him.
The gist of the budget has been captured very well. Moreover, the flop you mentioned is indeed a point to lament on for the "aam - aadmi".
ReplyDeleteIndian railways which is losing approximately 25,000 cr every year due to the subsidization of fares desperately needs such a hike. A faction of the "aam-aadmi", the very masses TMC is adamant on protecting, plans to go on strike lest fare hike should be rolled back. This bears testimony to the indispensability of increase in railway fares.
I also fail to classify Ms Bannerjee's reaction as anything but a stereotyped political gimmick. If she really believed that increased fares are a bane for the commoner and wanted to safeguard their best interests, why did she have to wait for Mr Trivedi to announce the budget. Instead of creating such a hue and cry now, she could have foiled the plans before their being announcement. Actually, she wanted to fulfill her two pronged motive - replacing Mr Trivedi with the inexperienced Mr Mukul Roy, who is just a puppet in her hands and emerge as the champion of interests of the commoner, even if it means forsaking the railway industry and leaving it to bleed.