Lasting freshness

The Congress has won a new mandate. Its governance must be correspondingly new

The Congress party has been given an unequivocal mandate to govern. And make no mistake: this is a fresh mandate. It isnt,in any way,a continuation or an extension of the 2004 result. The Congress,in its post-victory enthusiasm,should not lose sight of that. And,even given that the UPA ran on its record in government,the Congress must have sensed that this is a mandate for freshness.

After the 2004 elections,the first UPA cabinet reflected those who had helped the party survive the lean years in opposition,and those who remembered and possessed experience from when it had last been the party of government. There may have been sound reasons for this at the time. Persisting with those ministers is less explicable. But certainly,given the sense of relief and renewal sweeping India following this election,the cabinet should be one that unmistakably looks forward,and not back. The right people in the key,forward-looking ministries can help this feeling keep going.

What are those key,forward-looking ministries? There are several,and the discussion of which ones they are is tied inextricably to what Indias next steps in reform and recovery are to be. One is clearly the human resources development ministry,which must be given to someone willing to take on the hardest of tasks,reforming Indias antiquated educational system,in the teeth of both entrenched interests and with a deadline the demographic transition waits for no one. Indias single most pressing task is to develop the human capital of todays enormous set of young people,or the very real fear is that it will have missed the boat as a great power. A closely related task awaits the new labour and employment minister,who must allow Indias workers and employers greater flexibility. Keeping India competitive needs that. Simultaneously,infrastructure projects need to be pushed through and streamlined; the ministries of surface transport and power must not stagnate any longer. This sets out an agenda which,together with disinvestment to finance capital (not current) spending,combines reform,stimulus,and is fiscally responsible,as well as being good politics. The mandate reveals the country is willing to try new things. The Congress must start giving India new faces,new ideas,and new reform. Now.