Ourview | Crisis of causality

The government is in a fix. With media outlets such as The Economist and The New York Times piling on the pessimism, what the government urgently needs is a long list of meaningless things to blame for the economic malaise. Or distract from it. It should then release these reasons to the media one by one. This will obfuscate the issue, buying the government time to actually get things done.

It can start by blaming the last six months of policy paralysis on Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and company. Team Anna enjoys no activity more than convening press conferences. This should eat up at least a month or two while Hazare and Bedi bewilder world media.

Next, the government could point to a Pakistani-Chinese nexus that is trying to destabilize the Indian economy. Details are irrelevant. Nothing can possibly get Western media on our side like showing them that we are the victims of a dastardly Islamo-Sino conspiracy. That should sort out another month or two. Or even up to six months if the United Nations can be involved somehow.

Next, Kapil Sibal could introduce a new laptop that does everything the next-generation MacBook Pro recently announced by Apple does, but costs only $35. Of course, everybody knows this is impossible. But no need to tell Sibal that. He will sell it with gusto. People always buy a cheap laptop story.

And if all this does not buy enough time, just announce a potential acquisition of Facebook. Foreign media is easily gamed. It is time the government stepped up.

Foreign media or a lax government: who is responsible for India’s economic troubles? Tell us at views@livemint.com

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