pm's role

Prime Minister’s role

The statement of Mr.Montek Singh Ahluwalia that  the Prime Minister or his office cannot be held responsible for the irregularities committed by his colleagues goes against the basic principles of accountability. Of course, no one has so far questioned the personal integrity of the present Prime Minister. But a Prime Minister cannot function in isolation. Does not the RBI or  the Government of India question the Chief Executive of  a Bank when a massive fraud takes place in his institution even though he has not personally authorized the transactions? It is true that the Prime Minister cannot indulge in micro-management, but when  massive scams of mind boggling  magnitude keep surfacing every now and then ,can he really disown at least vicarious responsibility? What then is the role of the Prime Minister if he does not have at least an overall view of what his colleagues are upto  particularly when major violations are taking place under his very nose? Is he expected to keep an ‘arm’s length ‘ relationship on such occasions also?

In this context, one is tempted to recall the time when Sri.Lal Bahadur Sastri was the Railway Minister. When a major train accident took place in Ariyalur, he tendered his resignation owning moral responsiblity. According to, Mr.Ahluwalia’s   theory  of ‘micromanagement’, he need not have resigned because he was not driving the train. The Prime Minister need not do micromanagement, but he cannot shut his eyes to mismanagement and corruption among his colleagues.