Thase columns had observed yesterday Natwar Singh’s fulminations against the prime minister could help the Congress rediscover the virtues of party-government solidarity. There’s some more unwitting assistance on offer from the former foreign minister, which shouldn’t be overlooked simply because he now seems ready to act contrite. Natwar Singh’s observation that a proper election victory doesn’t figure in the PM’s CV has a validity that survives the showcaused Congressman’s bile. Manmohan Singh will lose nothing and gain two very important attributes if he fights and wins a Lok Sabha seat. First, he will confirm to a tradition sanctified by the democratic spirit — the leader of the government in a democracy must be elected in the proper sense of the term.

Dr Singh and his advisors should note that even I.K. Gujral - an accidental prime minister if ever there was one - was anxious to get the imprimatur of Lok Sabha membership. That Gujral became a lower house MP in an election caused by the fall of his government is thanks to political events over which he had no control. Dr Singh has both far more assurance in terms of his government’s medium term longevity as well as many more options about choosing a safe seat; Gujral had to accept an Akali gift. So even in terms of pure politics there’s no reason for the PM not to contest.

Politics also provides the second advantage for ‘Manmohan Singh, MP, Lok Sabha’. Most of his big detractors in the party and government and some of the most prominent performance-challenged members in the Cabinet are Rajya Sabha members. So is Natwar Singh, by the way. We carry a list of Rajya Sabha members in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet on the op-ed page and anyone who’s been following news should have no difficulty identifying those for whom a Manmohan Singh election victory will not bring tidings of joy. Realpolitik is brutally logical. A proper election win will give Dr Singh more political ammunition against critics whose chances of participating in a successful Lok Sabha contest is about the same as those of Natwar Singh being re-appointed as foreign minister. All prime ministers need to be ruthless some time. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had this quality in abundance.

... contd.