New FM Tomorrow
FINANCE Minister Pranab Mukherjee is all set to put in his papers tomorrow. 21 years ago, in 1991, an academician found himself in the North Block as the Finance Minister of India with the task of saving the Fiscal India. He managed to pull out a drowning economy and put it on a fast track with no possible reverse gear. 21 years later, the academician is grappling with third rate politics over which he has no command or control and he finds the Finance Ministry slot vacant - too tempting to resist! And the economy is almost back in the 1991 position in spite of all positive factors. The Rupee is low at indecent levels; Corruption is high at levels that are more indecent and fiscal law making is at its height of indecency. Now, we need a Finance Minister who can instil confidence and pull the economy out of the mess it is in, lest we should end up eating lizards.
The attitude that all businessmen are evaders and that all foreign investors are out to loot India, should change.
We need a Statesman as Finance Minister who can see beyond the next elections.