The Year of Scams

The problems of the Manmohan Singh government can be summarized in two words: corruption and inflation. The biggest strength of the second UPA coalition is the weakness of the Opposition, both on the Right as well as the Left. The incumbent regime hopes that it will be able to neutralize the attacks on it by waiting for the outcome of the state legislative assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Thereafter, the Congress and the UPA expect to get a new lease of life (as the Communists are certain to perform poorly in their two bastions in the south and the east). But those in power at present will be guilty of complacency if they believe they can continue to tackle inflation and corruption in the half-hearted manner they have done so far.