Now that a new government with a more stable mandate is poised to assume power, it needs to start thinking of how it will address the many challenges facing the country. In many ways, the last government rode a streak of good luck, especially the fair winds blowing from the global economy as well as the Indian Ocean that underpinned a modest recovery in India’s agriculture. Regrettably, however, the previous government postponed, and in some cases indeed worsened, the key institutional challenges facing the country. Some were understandably the result of a fractured mandate and the exigencies of running an unwieldy coalition government. Others had to do with the nature of the prime minister’s authority within his own party. Fortunately, this time around, the government should not be hobbled by these handicaps.
Illustration: Jayachandran / Mint
A good starting point for the direction of change for this government has to be the weaknesses and failures in its last stint. Within the party, the government relied too heavily on old horses and retainers, whose performance in critical ministries was anaemic (home) if not downright destructive (human resource development, or HRD). Even in a short time, replacing the home minister—after the outcry following the Mumbai attacks—has brought new life to that crucial ministry. This was not the case in HRD, whose actions hugely politicized and repeatedly dragged the government into unnecessary controversies while jeopardizing the future of the country’s most precious resource: its young people.
A critical comparative advantage of the Congress, relative to other parties, is that it has a number of young parliamentarians who can be groomed for leadership positions. Given the country’s demographics and indeed the election of younger members in this Lok Sabha, this election represents a historic opportunity to induct younger members, not just in the ministries, but in the host of commissions and committees that are an essential lubricant of institutional change. The last time around, the government stuffed these bodies with retirees and to return favours to coalition partners, a sure predictor that nothing new would come out of them. If it has any interest in change and securing its long-term future, the government needs to induct new blood in all organs of the Indian state.
A second key issue that needs immediate attention stems from the poor performance of ministries represented by some of its coalition partners, especially from the state of Tamil Nadu. Allowing one party to have a monopoly over a specific ministry over successive governments, despite poor performance, would absolutely be the wrong signal to send. This time around, the Congress will be bargaining from a position of strength, and the prime minister needs to establish his authority early on, demonstrating that ministries are not zamindaris with little regard to public good.