That 90's vibe

   Ever miss the days when Amitabh Bachchan was playing action hero in Lal Baadshah, Daewoo Cielo was one of the coolest cars on the road and Doordarshan was a widely watched television channel in India? Those days are back!

   No, Amitabh Bachchan is not starring in a sequel to "Lal Baadshah" and Daewoo has long ceased to be a car maker in India. It is the dismal GDP growth rate of 5.3% in 2012 Jan-Mar quarter that reminds me of the late 90's and the early 2000's.

                                         GDP - real growth rate 1999-2010

source: indexmundi

   Much like 1999 , we have had three years of unproductive, dysfunctional central governments. As bad as things are, there is scant hope of a quick shift in course by the government. Elected officials bemoan the vagaries of a squabbling coalition that constrain them from enacting reforms. A grand total of 36 months have been squandered by the UPA-2 with little progress to show. Which begs the question, what good would another 24 months of them in power do?