In an interview published in Business Standard on 24th Sept., Montek Singh Ahluwalia is asked the following question:
"In December 2002, when the BJP was considering FDI in retail, Manmohan Singh, then the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, told the Federation of Business Associations of Maharashtra, 'India does not require these kinds of reforms; they would destroy employment.' What has happened in the last ten years to make him reverse his position?"
So much for the consistency of the economist-prime minister. Yes, all politicians are opportunistic chameleons; but we expect more decorous behaviour from an 'intellectual' prime minister.
You may wonder what Manmohan Singh had said in the Rajya Sabha in 2002. He never opens his mouth where and when he is expected to. Period.
Singh practises decennial turnabouts. Pro-reforms in 1991, anti-reforms in 2002 and pro-reforms in 2012.
There are arguments for and against FDI in multi-brand retail. But when politicians and particularly the prime minister use expedient arguments only to fool the public, they deserve to be booted out. In this context, Santosh Kumar Suman's act at Vigyan Bhawan was exemplary. Ofcourse, Manmohan Singh will continue his trickery unruffled. Will a robot ever get ruffled?
"In December 2002, when the BJP was considering FDI in retail, Manmohan Singh, then the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, told the Federation of Business Associations of Maharashtra, 'India does not require these kinds of reforms; they would destroy employment.' What has happened in the last ten years to make him reverse his position?"
So much for the consistency of the economist-prime minister. Yes, all politicians are opportunistic chameleons; but we expect more decorous behaviour from an 'intellectual' prime minister.
You may wonder what Manmohan Singh had said in the Rajya Sabha in 2002. He never opens his mouth where and when he is expected to. Period.
Singh practises decennial turnabouts. Pro-reforms in 1991, anti-reforms in 2002 and pro-reforms in 2012.
There are arguments for and against FDI in multi-brand retail. But when politicians and particularly the prime minister use expedient arguments only to fool the public, they deserve to be booted out. In this context, Santosh Kumar Suman's act at Vigyan Bhawan was exemplary. Ofcourse, Manmohan Singh will continue his trickery unruffled. Will a robot ever get ruffled?
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