What If The Right Hands Had Been Given A Free Hand?

Today afternoon, I came across my own Facebook post from 2011.  

“B.J.P leader Arun Jaitley not only showed the mirror to the government but also told P.M that if you want to fight against corruption you need only a Political Will which our present government don't have.”

Back then I was criticizing the UPA Government. It was a time of power alliances, interference from coalition partners, repeated terrorist attacks, and walking inflation. As an individual, I have always admired Dr. Manmohan Singh. He was a legend and a great economist. Even during the global crisis, he safeguarded the Indian economy with great skill and prudence. What he did on the economic front was unparalleled.  

But politics doesn’t run on economics alone.  

Safety was a major concern too. News of terrorist incidents kept coming from many states, even from Punjab and my own district Ludhiana. That unrest made us question the ruling government. 

Looking back, I also feel Congress made one strategic mistake that cost them dearly. Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was the other name with the same level of statesmanship and economic prudence as Dr. Singh. But instead of giving him a larger role in governance, Congress sidelined him by making him President, perhaps to clear the way for a new face -- Mr. Rahul Gandhi. That one decision had big consequences. Congress ended up losing power for more than a decade.

Sometimes I wonder: what if Mrs. Sonia Gandhi had not interfered so much in politics? Dr. Singh might have got more autonomy and taken bolder decisions.  

And then I think bigger.  

What if both Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee had been given a free hand?  

What if Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had become President again for one more time?

Imagine Kalam, Singh and Mukherjee working together. Three minds rooted in knowledge, integrity and service. Perhaps the face of our country would have been very different --- more progressive, more stable, more aspirational.

Today, when we are facing galloping inflation and worrying about a future prognosis of hyperinflation, those “what ifs” feel heavier. 

Criticism is easy when you are outside. Governance is hard when you are inside. But leadership is about giving space to competence, even if it outshines you.

That 2011 post came out of frustration.  

This 2026 post is reflection.  

Because in the end, nations don’t grow by alliances. They grow when talent is trusted.