As the months roll on, one is rather alarmed by the lack of any fresh, real and appealing initiatives, at the ground level, which could have been actioned virtually immediately, to show some tangible results before the term of this government comes to an end. If the present laissez faire, to use an archaic expression, continues much longer, the countdown for a defeat at the polls for the Congress seems to be very possible. With the BJP in confusion, Congressmen have descended into their traditional lethargy assuming that they are here to stay and rule. There is an ominous stillness that has pervaded the political space. Nothing seems to be happening in that realm. Mobilization at the grassroots to revive the party and inject it with energy and vitality to face the future decade, is non-existent. Those who have the personal attributes of a bully are getting away with their whims and agendas, making definitive public statements laced with supreme pomposity. The sense one gets is that no one is in control, that there is no conductor of the orchestra and that whoever blows the trumpet louder, drowns the nuanced and thoughtful notes, thereby reducing the symphony to being utterly substandard.

There are leaders and elected representatives in the Congress party who want to set new standards, evolve new norms and force the work ethic but there is no nodal point of reference, no catalyst that attracts the collective. Factions are pulling in all directions. Gangs and groupings flourish spreading canards about each other, making up ?stories? as they go along, trying to curry favour with those at the helm. It is all so blatant and undisguised. The civil servants are the first to recognise this weakness and use it to their advantage with great ease and ?lan. The bureaucracy has never had it so good. They stall whatever they find disturbs the status quo. They project and push forward that which aids them and their agendas. They no longer serve the government, but instead they force the political hand.

Keep them at bay

One ludicrous example of unnecessary squabbling on issues that need action is the spirited battle between the minister of sports and Suresh Kalmadi. Surely Mani Shankar should concentrate on the panchayati raj and let Kalmadi handle the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. In fact, the behaviour of the two ?boys? is shameful and childish. The intervention of the prime minister, much like the house master in high school, to calm the ?kids? down, was equally ludicrous. Then, to make matters even more farcical, Arjun Singh is made arbitrator as the head of a group of ministers. What can he ? or for that matter, any minister ? contribute to organizing the games, except more redtape, more bureaucratic interference, more ineptitude?

Is the intention to create reserved trophies for the old and ailing, for the many castes and tribes? What a strange choice of person to enter the fray. All the literacy and education programmes are in a complete mess, and the prime minister gives Arjun Singh an additional responsibility in an area that needs immediate and quick, enlightened decision-making. Why not leave it to those who know? Why not enforce a committee of professionals: an ace marketing person, a designer, an architect, a town-planner, an events person, a financial whiz, a writer, a travel and tourism expert, a great chef ?all the professionals that come together to make a great show a commercial success? The only way to deliver a first class show is to keep the government out except in an ex officio capacity because of its role in delivering the required city services, and law and order.

Over sixty years, India neglected the sports sector. The politicians had put sports on the back-burner. Now, because of a world reality, they want to enter and grab the spoils. Their breed needs to be kept at bay.