Already, A. Raja in communications can blithely ignore even prime ministerial observations that spectrum should be auctioned. Vajpayee shifted Paswan out of communications for far less overt unruliness. Whether spectrum should be auctioned or not is a hugely important question and whatever the decision, it has to be the whole government’s and sanctioned by the PM.

When Pramod Mahajan was the NDA’s communications minister, the government took the controversial decision on allowing wireless in local loop (WLL) telephony under conditions that were deemed by many as favouring particular service providers. But at least the PMO and the ministry were in sync. There was one policy that could be critiqued. The consequences of what is happening under the UPA are not fully with us as yet. But it will get uglier and the biggest loss will be the Centre’s policy credibility.

Just because this sounds boring doesn’t mean this is trivial. If allies get more and more key economic portfolios and the national party’s disciplining power gets circumscribed, mini policy republics will be created in those very sectors that need carefully considered and widely understood policy paradigm shifts. Yes, Lalu Yadav and Praful Patel have served the UPA and policy well. But if they hadn’t, there was nothing Manmohan Singh could have done. Dr Singh has simply watched Baalu reduce the highway project to a personal battle against highway authority directors. He has watched Paswan being a huge misfit for a pharmaceutical sector that, like information technology, has the potential to be world class. He has watched coal going on a policy sabbatical because of Shibu Soren for most of the UPA’s term.

... contd.