Three years of UPA-II: Any reason to cheer?

Pallavi Ghosh CNN-IBN | 21-May 07:29 AM

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi get ready to present their report card for the UPA-II's third year, it seems there would not be much to celebrate.

It has been a year of controversies for the UPA-II... attacks, couter-attacks... angry and sulking allies... and finally defeat.

The fact that the PMO had to send repeated reminders to ministers to send their list of achievements as inputs for the report card, goes to show that it may well be a skinny card which the PM will present.

The Finance Ministry has been plagued with a falling rupee, rising inflation and food prices and a fall in global credit rating. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee needs to do some major thinking here.

Meanwhile, Home Minister P Chidambaram's pet project NCTC has been put on hold. AFSPA, Manipur and Telangana also remain unsolved problems.

The Defence Ministry, on the other hand, has been in the news more for controversy over Army Chief General VK Singh and allegations of corruption in deals than any other step ahead.

Meanwhile, Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh's flagship Land Acquisition Bill is caught in politics and an approval from key UPA ally and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems difficult.

It has been a year of virtually no-show for the UPA-II. Even some of the decisions taken, like the public procurement bill, grievance redressal bill, were done under pressure from the Opposition and Team Anna to show that the UPA was committed to fighting corruption.

Yet Congress realises that with just two years left to go before the Lok Sabha polls, it is important to put the best foot forward. So at the 3 years' celebration, the photo-op will be there and an effort will be made to showcase its achievements, no matter how limited.

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