Sonia Gandhi - Super PM?

Ever since Dr. Manmohan Singh took over the reins of India, speculation has raged over the role Sonia Gandhi will be playing. A senior Congress member, widely tipped to become a minister even commented at the time that as the Chairman of the Congress Legislative Party, Sonia would have access to confidential government files! Maybe the statement was just an indirect way of testing waters or something. Predictably, a huge outcry from the opposition followed and the Congress had to clarify its position.

However, the debate has hardly been settled. Inspite of not being the leader of India, Sonia has recieved official, semi-official and unofficial invitations from 20 countries! Strange, and to some degree unacceptable. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the executive head of India and it is he who should be projected and seen as the foremost leader - the man at the helm of affairs. Any percieved or real confusion about the chain of command can only have adverse consequences.

That apart, I have to admire Dr. Manmohan Singh. From what I have read, the man is the exact antithesis of the typical Indian politician. No airs, no ego, no frills! Hardworking - he finds it difficult to give time to journalists for interviews. And clean to a fault - he shines out among the corrupt people his ministry is packed with! India needs more politicians like him!

The budget is expected to be out in July. Dr. Manmohan Singh, the magical economist who bailed India out of its financial morass in 1991, is expected to cater to everyone's expectations! The Left wants something, the industrialists want something else while the common man wants something entirely different. And all of them believe Dr. Manmohan Singh is the man capable of bringing deliverance. Guys, get ready! I have a hunch we have an excellent economic soap opera lined up!