Throughout the kerfuffle between Anna Hazare led India against corruption(IAC) and the government , there is one element of UPA's second stint that has not received deserved scrutiny. It is the slowdown of the economy and a loss of momentum in enacting badly needed reforms.
Even as late as a few months ago there was a possibility of forward movement, with several bills waiting to be tabled. Demands for a Joint parliamentary committee(JPC) to probe the 2G scam consumed most of the budget session between February and May. The current session has so far been spent dealing with the Anna Hazare fast.
After extracting concessions from the government on Lokpal, IAC seems to be signaling more such fights to come. To be sure, they have plenty of items on the agenda. There are far too many institutions of government desperately in need of reform.
The UPA could get ahead of this by coming out with a roadmap of reforms not just to tackle graft but also to accelerate growth. They could set out a time table for the passage of various bills and start moving ahead with them. If no significant progress is made in the three years before the next scheduled elections, UPA's second term could very well be remembered for it's political knife fights with the civil society and little else.
Even as late as a few months ago there was a possibility of forward movement, with several bills waiting to be tabled. Demands for a Joint parliamentary committee(JPC) to probe the 2G scam consumed most of the budget session between February and May. The current session has so far been spent dealing with the Anna Hazare fast.
After extracting concessions from the government on Lokpal, IAC seems to be signaling more such fights to come. To be sure, they have plenty of items on the agenda. There are far too many institutions of government desperately in need of reform.
The UPA could get ahead of this by coming out with a roadmap of reforms not just to tackle graft but also to accelerate growth. They could set out a time table for the passage of various bills and start moving ahead with them. If no significant progress is made in the three years before the next scheduled elections, UPA's second term could very well be remembered for it's political knife fights with the civil society and little else.
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