January 22, 2025

Prime Minister Modi and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had an unscheduled meeting on Wednesday when the latter called on Modi at his official residence. In normal circumstances, this would not have been such a big deal as such things happen in democracies. But given the fact that several former bureaucrats are leveling unfound charges against Dr Singh for either having condoned corruption in his government or having come under pressure from the “extra-constitutional authority”(read Sonia Gandhi) to ignore the murky goings-on, this visit created a strong buzz, including creased lines on the foreheads of several Congressmen. The politeratti was even more intrigued as Dr Singh had just an hour or two ago delivered a scathing critique on the first year of the Modi government.

Immediately, several theories started doing the rounds, including one that conjectured that Dr Singh went to Modi to strike a deal. But all such theories must now come to an end because the chosen one has spoken.

Rahul Gandhi, in what is being dubbed as his 2.0 avatar, has held out that Modi perhaps took an hour- long lesson in economics from Dr Singh. He said this derisively, and that shows his mentality. He himself is averse to any kind of learning except the one of putting people down that he learnt during his recent frolicking ‘sabbatical.’ Maybe Dr Singh learnt about foreign policy from Modi. Democracy grows stronger when political opponents exchange notes, but this is beyond the comprehension of Gandhi baba and will be so even in his 10.0 avatar.

For, even if the PM consulted Dr Singh on the economy, is there anything wrong in it? Dr Singh is a world renowned economist. There would be nothing wrong if Modi invites him to give his inputs and it would be excellent if Dr Singh is appointed as economic advisor to the government. The biggest folly of the UPA was that despite having Dr Singh at the helm, it held him in chains and allowed the drift in the economy to reach alarming proportions. One is sure Dr Singh wrung his hands in despair many a times in the day and cried silently at night to see a government headed by him preside over the downward slide of Indian economy. Just compare Dr Singh’s tenure as finance minister under P V Narasimha Rao with his prime ministerial innings and you will understand what he is capable of and how he was used just as a figurehead by Sonia Gandhi to give legitimacy to her devious policies and allow cronies to amass huge wealth.

Rahul Gandhi has a lot of learning to do. The first lesson that he should learn is not to go into election mode when they are several years away. The next lesson is that instead of being critical of the government, he should formulate alternative policies and place them before the people. He should spend more time in uniting and inspiring his own party by showing them a way ahead instead to making fun of the government in general and Modi in particular. That is the only way he can aspire to give a fight to the BJP in 2019.