People had great expectations of Dr. MMS, but he has failed his admireres like me. I thought he would be a statesman, but he has turned out to be no more than a politician. He has defended the allotment of gas to defunct company for the sake of the coalition, he played the communal card by promising special treatment for minorities (read Muslims) and implying that it was somehow the fault of the majority community that Muslims have not progressed. So, how was he different from the series of very ordinary PMs that we have had since Mrs Indira Gandhi? He has been pathetic, even if we grant that coalition is not an easy situation to handle. One hoped that he will gaind in stature and provide the leadership that will forge coalition of different ideologies into an instrument that will make India truly a democracy in which people of all hues participate, but it has been a government of disparate elements pulling in different directions, in which nothing of substance got done. Only redeeming feature has been that a so far buoyant economy enabled the government to spend freely and make a show of progress.
