Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Baru was right in exposing the exploits of PM' that was published in Newsband

Baru was right in exposing the exploits of PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru had recently come up with a book which exposed the exploits of the PM. However, the PMO described Sanjaya Baru’s book ‘The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh’ as the “misuse of a privileged position and access to high office”.

The Prime Minister, his office and the Congress party are free to contest Mr. Baru’s contention that his former boss deferred to the wishes of Sonia Gandhi on all important issues. But it is clear that the author has not misused his position to reveal national secrets or endanger national security.

If Prime Minister Singh feels betrayed, as his daughter has now said, that is not a national problem. Dr. Singh’s best revenge would be to write his own book putting out his side of the story. The PMO, while rebutting, should try to give a picture about the rise of Mr. Baru that saw him occupy one of the most coveted media-relations post in the country from a relatively unknown journalist.

MMS's daughter's lament on the author's betrayal of trust is ironical in the context of the greater betrayal that MMS committed to the country, when he had all the opportunity to use his authority to take the right decisions to govern the country and much of the scams and looting of the Nation could have been avoided.

The talk by some folks questioning Sanjaya Baru's integrity and talks of back-stabbing are highly misplaced. There is nothing in the book which talks ill of MMS; rather it shows how he was not allowed to perform by the mother-son duo. Sanjaya Baru was the PM’s man and he is to be equally credited for the only achievement of MMS Govt - Nuclear deal. Maybe he wanted to rub salt in the Congress's wound by writing out the truth to embarrass people who have shown him the door and for not following the party line. Attributing motives to his moves is more out of heartburn rather than of any valid logic.

PM has no morale left to tell he has been betrayed, when he can easily lose the files related to coal mining to hide the coal scam from CBI and letting the many scams to spin out of control. It seems, in politics calling a spade, a spade is a big crime.

What Baru wrote was the truth. The PM was never a political leader who had a real constituency; he was a bureaucrat who obeyed his political masters. The office of the Indian PM is designed for a political leader with mass appeal, not a bureaucrat and a paper pusher. India’s Geopolitical situation, its defense preparedness, its internal security can all have pragmatic policies if the PM is a leader with an ear to the ground and in touch with the masses. MMS was so loyal to Sonia Gandhi that he let her use him for her own ends. He will go down in history as a lackey not as a leader.

Sanjay Baru had every right to write books expressing his view points on matters to which he was privy.  Baru did not stab Manmohan in the back - the latter himself managed to do it by surrendering space to Sonia, by not taking control of his cabinet, by ignoring corruption on a vast scale right under his nose, by avoiding a fight at all costs.