NAC vs government

There is a fundamental inequality in the governance arrangement in New Delhi that continues to plague the United Progressive Alliance. Members of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council feel they have the right to criticise the government and its functionaries all the time, while no one in government is willing to return the compliment. In an interview to this newspaper, (March 13) the self-proclaimed father of India’s green revolution, Dr M S Swaminathan, hurled invectives against planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the newly appointed chairperson of the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Price (CACP) Ashok Gulati. While Dr Swaminathan then sent a letter to the editor (March 16) denying he had said any such thing, the fact is that he did. The moot point is not what Dr Swaminathan said, but the fact that he felt no hesitation criticising two important members of the Union government, while himself being a member of NAC. That many in the Congress party see themselves as Her Majesty’s “loyal opposition” is by now well known. Party members like Mani Shankar Aiyar have attacked government functionaries from the prime minister downwards with impunity. But, it is one thing for politicians to play politics and another for a scientist and a former government functionary to do the same.

There is nothing wrong about individuals having policy differences and nothing wrong in these being publicly aired. Indeed, there is nothing wrong in even suggesting that some policies may be pro-rich and others pro-poor. But to attribute motives, to charge someone with being pro-American and pro-multinationals and such like, to equate the appointment of a distinguished agricultural economist like Ashok Gulati as CACP chairperson to the appointment of P J Thomas as chief vigilance commissioner, as Dr Swaminathan did in his interview to a correspondent of this newspaper, is entirely objectionable, particularly when the concerned officials cannot defend themselves in public. Dr Gulati is a world-class agricultural economist who has earned distinction from his professional work. His decision to enter government, after years of working in India and abroad in research organisations, ought to be welcomed. The government needs more such professionals at various levels.

In fact, there used to be more such lateral entry into government during the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and even Rajiv Gandhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has tried to attract new professional talent into government only in his second term and this ought to be welcomed. Since Dr Swaminathan has withdrawn his remarks and recanted, in a letter to the editor, it will hopefully be the last time that NAC members will misuse their position to tarnish the reputation of those in government. The idea of creating an internal opposition to the government, in the name of ideological checks and balances appears to have gone awry. This is, of course, not to deny that NAC has not played a constructive role. Both the employment guarantee act and the right to information are important initiatives of NAC inUPA’s first term in office. However, in the second term it appears NAC is unable to come forward with practical policy options for the government. Perhaps the time has come to wind up NAC.