Pranab is an indispensable part of the Congress set-up
He is one of the prime negotiators trying to
convince the Indian communist on the virtues of the Indo-US nuclear deal and the immense benefits which will accrue to the nation through its operationalisation. In addition, Pranab Mukherjee, the External Affairs Minister & the Congress stalwart, is also tasked by the party High Command to ensure that the UPA Government wades through the current crisis to survive its full five year term. Till now, Pranab has been successful in convincing the communist of the need to start the process of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for safeguards agreement. Furthermore, the political-economist plus strategist, has been able to buy time from the communists and ensure that the government does not go down at least till the next year begins. This is not the first time that the erudite minister has been coming to rescue of the party in crisis (In early 2005, he was instrumental in convincing the Left as well as his own Union colleagues on the virtues of accepting the Patent’s Amendment Bill.) His proven negotiating skills and his deep understanding of the global & domestic political undercurrents makes him an almost indispensable part of Cabinet.
Unfortunately much like Prakash Karat, Pranab Mukherjee is an intellectual but his lack of mass base in his home state is his weak spot. It is purely his professional & political acumen which have placed him as one of the key policy makers of the nation for the past two decades, a job he has been quietly pursuing with aplomb. Sonia Gandhi’s biographer Rasheed Kidwai describes him as a “living encyclopaedia. He is an authority on all subjects from food processing to culture to diplomacy to social policies.”
The 72-year-old Pranab was baptised into politics by his father, who was so deeply immersed in the freedom struggle that he had to spend more than 10 years in jail during that period. Pranab’s tryst with the Union cabinet began as early as February, 1973, when he became the Deputy Minister, Industrial Development. And since then there has been no looking back. He has held almost all important portfolios, including defence & finance. The closest he came to becoming the Prime Minister was in 1991, when P. V. Narasimha Rao pipped him to the post. However, Pranab didn’t lose heart, & continued to perform as a professional. His grasp of international political economy & foreign affairs was honed during his various stints as member, Board of Governors of IMF, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank & African Development Bank (1982-85).
Pranab, is of course, a sound prime ministerial prospect. But his lack of essential mass base & the arrival of younger leaders like Rahul Gandhi on the scene, perhaps will ensure that the PM’s chair will continue to elude this erudite politician from West Bengal.
FOOTSTEPS
l Birth: December 11, 1935, Mirati, Birbhum (West Bengal)
l 1984: Chairman, Group 24 (a ministerial group attached to the IMF and the World Bank)
l 1969, 1975, 1981, 83, 99: Elected to Rajya Sabha
l 2004: Elected to Lok Sabha & joined the Union Cabinet as Defence Minister & Leader of the House, Lok Sabha
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
He is one of the prime negotiators trying to
convince the Indian communist on the virtues of the Indo-US nuclear deal and the immense benefits which will accrue to the nation through its operationalisation. In addition, Pranab Mukherjee, the External Affairs Minister & the Congress stalwart, is also tasked by the party High Command to ensure that the UPA Government wades through the current crisis to survive its full five year term. Till now, Pranab has been successful in convincing the communist of the need to start the process of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for safeguards agreement. Furthermore, the political-economist plus strategist, has been able to buy time from the communists and ensure that the government does not go down at least till the next year begins. This is not the first time that the erudite minister has been coming to rescue of the party in crisis (In early 2005, he was instrumental in convincing the Left as well as his own Union colleagues on the virtues of accepting the Patent’s Amendment Bill.) His proven negotiating skills and his deep understanding of the global & domestic political undercurrents makes him an almost indispensable part of Cabinet.Unfortunately much like Prakash Karat, Pranab Mukherjee is an intellectual but his lack of mass base in his home state is his weak spot. It is purely his professional & political acumen which have placed him as one of the key policy makers of the nation for the past two decades, a job he has been quietly pursuing with aplomb. Sonia Gandhi’s biographer Rasheed Kidwai describes him as a “living encyclopaedia. He is an authority on all subjects from food processing to culture to diplomacy to social policies.”
The 72-year-old Pranab was baptised into politics by his father, who was so deeply immersed in the freedom struggle that he had to spend more than 10 years in jail during that period. Pranab’s tryst with the Union cabinet began as early as February, 1973, when he became the Deputy Minister, Industrial Development. And since then there has been no looking back. He has held almost all important portfolios, including defence & finance. The closest he came to becoming the Prime Minister was in 1991, when P. V. Narasimha Rao pipped him to the post. However, Pranab didn’t lose heart, & continued to perform as a professional. His grasp of international political economy & foreign affairs was honed during his various stints as member, Board of Governors of IMF, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank & African Development Bank (1982-85).
Pranab, is of course, a sound prime ministerial prospect. But his lack of essential mass base & the arrival of younger leaders like Rahul Gandhi on the scene, perhaps will ensure that the PM’s chair will continue to elude this erudite politician from West Bengal.
FOOTSTEPS
l Birth: December 11, 1935, Mirati, Birbhum (West Bengal)
l 1984: Chairman, Group 24 (a ministerial group attached to the IMF and the World Bank)
l 1969, 1975, 1981, 83, 99: Elected to Rajya Sabha
l 2004: Elected to Lok Sabha & joined the Union Cabinet as Defence Minister & Leader of the House, Lok Sabha
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
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