•Shishir Gupta: How important was Manmohan Singh’s role in the Congress victory?

Till Sonia Gandhi clearly informed the country that Dr Manmohan Singh will be our prime ministerial candidate, there was speculation in the media and the opposition parties, that the party would not let him continue or that someone else would take over. But that absolutely clear announcement generated a tremendous amount of confidence: he took on Mr Advani and in spite of his ill health, he campaigned wherever he was asked to. His contribution was not only to the campaign; what he did in the last five years is more important. I think the ‘India story’ was our contribution. This manifested itself in the nuclear deal, which changed our relationship with other countries. I think the urban voters particularly voted for the continuation of that story—and to that Dr Manmohan Singh contributed greatly. Moreover, when it became apparent that there were many prime ministerial candidates, that a Mayawati or a Jayalalithaa or somebody else could actually become the prime minister if the Congress did not win, that also contributed to the verdict. Dr Manmohan Singh also contributed directly in running a smooth government, handling a difficult coalition. Nobody thought the government would last, but it did.

•Amitabh Sinha: Crucial ministries have gone to people who are considered to be performance-orientated. What is the changed mandate you have got from the Prime Minister this time?

The Prime Minister has said, get going. People expect a great deal from this Government, much more than what we achieved in the last five years. But there are constraints: there’s the economic slowdown and the growth rate may not be as high as in the last five years. The ability to spend would be constrained. The main objective would be to continue high growth rates so that we have the ability to spend. So the prime minister has told his ministers not to waste even a single day. He has asked us to chalk out a 100-day programme. This programme should catch the imagination of the people. We have competent people manning key departments, even some of our allies have performed well. As for the Cabinet, Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister have spent a lot of time working out the matrix of regional and political balance, the political equations in the states and the relationship with our allies.

... contd.