Quitters do Bumble and Bumblers always Quit

That the Indian Prime Minister is bumbling through his tenure and his administration is supposed to be the worst the nation has ever seen, is suspected even by him - as he so miserably lamented during the ‘closed door’ press conference.

Anyone ever hear of a ‘closed door’ press conference?  I do not know what the PM was thinking when he decided on the idea of calling a score or so senior editors for a private interview.  The concept backfired with those editors, then, speaking out to the TV.  I have heard of spokesman for governments, organisations or even a personality; but this must be the first I am seeing spokesmen for a Prime Minister’s interview.

If that wasn’t bumbling, I don’t what else to call it!
>;-)

To follow up, his office allowed a piece of ‘undiplomatic’ opinion  to be published in the press release at his website and stumbled in haste and incompetence while taking it down.  I mean, either say a fact, or don’t air a suspicious and sensitive information, or if it leaks due to your own negligence, at least put up a brave face and stick with it - instead of trying sheepishly to make up with the offended.

But then, this PM doesn’t mind being shown up - to put it mildly.

• I have been pointing out that the PM has been claiming  that Inflation and especially food prices will come down in next 6 months, every 6 months for the last 2 years.  To give him credit, he seems to have wised up - and has started lengthening projection - now it is 10 months  - due in next March.  Guess he is tired of parroting the same every few months and decided that once an year would do.
• His own cabinet colleagues have now gone on record that they warned his office  about potential corruption in the Commonwealth Games, about which he is calling  up papers, now, almost an year after the fact.
• Was almost hauled over the coal for commenting on the work of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India - for suggesting that actions by the persons who took decisions, whether right, wrong or ‘influenced’ should not be questioned.
• For defending the appointment of a tainted public servant to investigate corruption by overlooking the objections within the selection committee and feigning ignorance  of the officer’s past - which the Supreme Court later held as cause enough to disqualify the worthy from being the Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India.
• Defending corruption in the 2G Spectrum allocation scandal by claiming that the CAG purported loss due to corruption is nothing but subsidy.
• And my personal peeve that of not calling for Cabinet meetings or decisions, and instead trying to engineer a new form of consultative government by organising a new animal - Group of Ministers or Enhanced Group of Ministers.  From my understanding of the Constitution of India, there is one and only Enhanced Group of Ministers which is the Cabinet.  And strictly speaking, all the decisions by the Government of the day should have Cabinet assent.  But by isolating decision making to a few, without the collective conscience of (his own) Cabinet, he is allowing decisions to be taken willy-nilly, which decisions by not being run the gauntlet of collective Cabinet scrutiny , end up as scandals, like -
• the 2G Spectrum allocation scandal
• the Devas Spectrum allocation scandal by Space authorities
• the foolhardy commitment to Telengana state
• the botched terrorists list given to Pakistan which included lists of suspects in India or even in Indian jails.
• the rashness of insisting on fuel price increases, which in turn would increase food prices, while said to be battling inflation.
• are, to name a few.

The PM, Mr. Manmohan Singh is an acknowledged achiever in Academics.  I feel that if only I had more teachers who accept excuses like he gives, (presumably based on his own Academic experience), during my school days, I too could have achieved much more academically - like

• when I kept begging them to give me a few marks more to break through the 85% bar, with the promise that to make good the next year - never worked; my teachers, not so gullible, never scored me more than 80
• when I ignored their warnings that if I don’t work harder, I will never achieve the potential that I have
• when I ridiculed my classmates when they used to point out that I am spending more time playing rather than studying
• when I took umbrage at the teachers for not giving me a couple of more marks - I mean, it is me, the student on the spot for marking the correct answers; the teachers are judging me after the fact
• while knowing fully well the shenanigans of a classmate, for supporting him whole heartedly for the Student-Pupil-Leader (which he lost spectacularly)
• when refusing to accept the ‘5-event’ shield, holding on that I came 2nd in 100 meter sprint only because I was on the sunny side of the track.
• when making rash and eventually disastrous decisions on my own, disregarding the team’s in that years sports meet, thereby condemning my House to share the championship.

If you can believe all those happened then you can also believe that the PM is not a bumbler.
All the same, I never gave the excuse that the dog ate the homework - because I did not have a dog.

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