Calling the next five years a “decisive half decade” in which India cannot “afford to lag behind the rising economies of the East,” Manmohan Singh, days before he begins his second term as Prime Minister, said that the Congress’s “historic victory” comes with the “challenge of rising expectations.”

Verdict 2009, Singh said, was a verdict for “inclusive growth, equitable development, a verdict for a secular and plural India.”

The nation’s expectations need to be met and the government has to work “harder and better” to secure a “more wholesome mandate entirely in our favour.” That, Singh said, was the challenge before the party and the government.

Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party, shortly after he was elected its leader here today, Singh said the youth, “inspired by Rahul Gandhi” had voted in large numbers for the Congress. “It’s in the nature of the youth to be impatient. They will not tolerate ‘business as usual’. They expect the Government to cater to their aspirations. They expect a more responsive Government. They expect a more efficient Government.”

To that effect, he announced that time-bound targets would be set for each Ministry along with quarterly performance reviews. And linked inclusive growth to economic reform.

“To make growth inclusive,” Singh said, “we must ensure that we can sustain growth. This requires new investment...creating a social and political environment in which new investment can be made. This requires better management of our finances. This requires reform of the economy. This requires revitalization of agriculture and acceleration of industrial development. We have to continue to keep our savings and investment rates high and become more globally competitive so that we can face global economic challenges.”

... contd.