Pick Your Prime Minister

Which One of ‘Em?:

Manmohan, Modi, Mulayam, Mamta, Maya, or Ma?

S. P. Udayakumar

spudayakumar@gmail.com

Idinthakarai, June 8, 2012

The next general elections may be held only in May 2014 or maybe a bit earlier. But there are already speculations about the next Prime Minister of India. The names that are being considered seriously include Manmohan, Modi, Mulayam, Mamta, Maya, and (Am)Ma.

It is quite safe to bet that Manmohan Singh cannot and will not be the next PM. He himself must know this. Steeped in corruption charges, inefficiency, anti-people policies and programs, and unquestioning subjugation to foreign countries and corporations, he is considered to be the most disastrous Prime Minister independent India has ever had. Most Indians are eagerly waiting to show him the door.

Modi is said to be favored to be the Prime Minister by a lot of Indians. That is all right. But what will Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and all others do? More importantly, it is highly unlikely that the BJP party will get absolute majority. Modi’s tricks may work in Gujarat but not in the rest of India.

It should also be borne in mind that the Indian Prime Minister is selected not just by the people of India alone but also by the American establishment. Uncle Sam does not even give visa to Modi and how will he give power to a complicated and controversial leader whose hands are stained with blood.

Mulayam is all set to march to Delhi after making his son the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the daughter-in-law an MP. He is floating with dreams of repeating a rerun of the 2012 sweep of the UP polls, bagging a good number of MP seats and staking a strong claim to be the next PM. This sounds like a good plan but will Americans stomach Mulayam and his Samajwad, however hollow it is. They cannot stand even a lip service to socialism in the era of American globalization. They will never support Mulayam for the top post.

The whimsical Mamta would be equally unattractive for Americans. Of course, she is the most rabid anti-Communist leader in the country today and that is clearly an advantage. But then there is the question of consistency and trustworthiness. The capriciousness of the Indian Prime Minister may be the last thing they want to deal with in the shaky South Asia.

Similarly, the haughty Maya may also be a bit too much for the United States to handle. Lack of any exposure to or understanding of international politics, being inaccessible to everyone, and ineffectual leadership qualities may all work against her. Most importantly, the people of UP may not even consider her seriously unless the Mulayam family lets them down once again.

And this leaves only Ma as a credible candidate to be India’s next Prime Minister. She is a high caste and high class politician who can speak English well, understand global politics and operate effortlessly in the diplomatic world of winks and nods. She has a good grasp on issues, takes bold decisions, sticks to her position, and most importantly, does not let anyone to boss her around. The United States sees all these as positive traits; they would rather have her on their side as there are no other viable candidates in sight.

So Amma has been talking about winning in all the 40 parliamentary seats in Tamil Nadu and Pudhucherry. She is trying to put Sangma in the Rashtrapathi Bhavan so he would invite her to form the next government in New Delhi if she had a favorable situation. And her frequent visits to Delhi and biting comments on the Singh government all must be seen in this backdrop.

One reason why she has changed her position on Koodankulam and nuclear power is to accommodate the Department of Atomic Energy, the Indian military/security establishment and most importantly, Uncle Sam and his nuclear business interests in India so that she would have all their blessings and backing to be the next Prime Minister.

So, who is your choice? Manmohan, Modi, Mulayam, Mamta, Maya, or Ma? Any of ‘em? The fact of the matter is all of ‘em want more power but none of ‘em may use it for the powerless.[]