{Arun Jaitley**}
Prime Minister’s Speeches?
In response to controversy created by two recently published books, the Prime Minister Office has clarified that in the last 10 years, the Prime Minister had delivered over 1200 speeches. The PMO thought that this would counter the charge that the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was not a “speaking” Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister is the key political executive of the country. He is the face of Indian democracy. His opinion shapes policy. He provides leadership. People look to him for solutions. A Prime Minister cannot be low key. He must arouse confidence of the people. He must appear confident about offering solutions. He must be a top mass leader of the ruling coalition. He must command both moral and political authority.
A Prime Minister must be communicative. He must be heard with attention. He must be a leader and not just a reader. President Barrack Obama, on his visit to India, delivered several important speeches including one in the Central Hall of Parliament. During the presidential banquet in his honour, I had an opportunity to interact with the key draftsmen of his speeches. Each of his speeches were prepared by an expert and vetted by a group of officials and eventually by the President himself. Most of the speeches were read out from the teleprompter. The teleprompter had a transparent screen. We, in the audience, thought it was an extempore speech. But the President was reading from the two teleprompters, even in the Central Hall of Parliament. The impact that his delivery and diction created was huge. In India, the Prime Minister’s read out speeches were not being heard by the people. They are no longer remembered or talked about. The PMO is right. Statistically, the Prime Minister was speaking, factually, he was not being heard. The Prime Minister walked on snow, but did not leave any footprints.
Mr.Vadra’s makes it to the Wall Street Journal
Congratulations to Mr. Robert Vadra. He has made it to the Wall Street Journal. The Vadra business model requires the research paper to be prepared by a key business analyst.
Start a business without any investment. Investment will flow as loans and advances which is a synonym for political equity. Use these loans to buy property at fraction of the market cost. Many people are willing to sell property for an inadequate consideration, accumulate a land and a property bank with the patronage of the state. Sell off some properties and repay back the original loan. The rest is all yours with no liabilities. So far this business model has raised only eyebrows. It is time it raises serious questions. That is what the Wall Street Journal has done.
Bishen Bedi in Amritsar
My friend Bishen Bedi was in Amritsar yesterday. This was the visit with a difference. He came to campaign for a political party which has provided India the most dishonest government in history. He came to campaign for a candidate who is accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bishen has always been a crusader even if he crusades for an immoral cause.
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**Arun Jaitley
Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha )
*Disclaimer: The writer is a freelance journalist and the views expressed by the author in this feature are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of INVC.
