The Brave PenManpreet Singh Badal – the Badal we admired July 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm (Punjab Polity) Tags: Finance Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkas

The Brave Pen

Manpreet Singh Badal – the Badal we admired

July 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm (Punjab Polity)
Tags: Finance Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal

Manpreet Singh Badal, FM, Punjab.

Manpreet Singh Badal is a man I admired. Admired, I said. I don’t admire him anymore. I listened to his ‘Ghalib Couplets’ devotedly and thought that he is a man who is sincere to the core. He is a person who means business. He is a personality which won’t budge and I thought that he will be the minister, who won’t compromise. But since he became the Finance Minister of the State, he is a confused man. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. Mr. FM, has failed to understand that be it subsidies or any other issue on the earth, either you can be for it or you can be against it. You cannot be for it and against it too but he is trying to do exactly that.

He continues to enjoy the tag and status of being the FM of Punjab but has done virtually nothing to amend the finances of Punjab. His only achievement till date is that he has managed to embarrass the people who posed faith in his abilities and made him the Finance Minister of a State which, economically, was is in a mess. It sadly, is in a mess, even today, after two and a half years of Manpreet taking over as FM of the state. Manpreet holds that he is not for freebies to any sector yet he is continuing as the boss of the department which sanctions all the money to be doled out via these freebies.

Will someone please tell him that he needs to introspect. He needs to ask himself if he is so principled and if he respects his own moral values so much then why he is doing a job which he does not enjoy. Why he is in a position which he cannot justify.

Besides his ‘shayri’ this seemingly philosophical guy takes pride in not having a gypsy before his official car and even not having a Red Beacon atop it. That sounded good. Yeah, it sounded good. He wanted to set an example, which he did but it disturbs now. Rather, it irritates now. Mr. FM, let me tell you, that Punjab can spare a gypsy or two and a Beacon for a person who can deliver. You should be clear about it, that a gypsy left unused and a 500 bucks beacon which you do not use is costing Punjab dear.

And lo, now responding to queries about his non-performance as FM he says that he is not a magician. Tell him, that the economy of Punjab needs a Magic Touch at the moment. Be frank, in telling him that Punjab needs a Finance Minister who can deliver. A FM who does not, at all the times looks for an escape route.

Mr. Philosopher should understand that you are given a task to perform in the given circumstances. If you can get the circumstances changed, well, go ahead and get them changed but if you can’t get the circumstances changed and if you can’t perform in the given circumstances, then why cling to a post. This is not being honest. This is not being principled.

People say and I too believed that Manpreet ‘Vadhia Banda Hai’. People say he is a principled man, a clean politician, who won’t compromise. Here, I disagree. He has been compromising with his principles just to stick to his ‘Kursi’ of FM. If the Badals or let us say, the Cabinet, does not listen to his ideas/suggestions he should quit.

Since, I still have sympathy for him, when I say he should quit, what I mean to say is that he should quit as Finance Minister and not a Minister. He is closely related to Badals and can ask the Chief Minister for the posting of his choice. He should prefer a Ministry where he can really prove himself. Here, he has failed himself and failed his admirers too.

He may say, that if some one, or some people, don’t admire him anymore, it doesn’t make any difference. It makes a difference, Mr. Manpreet. It certainly makes a difference. If you run for half a kilometre and make a mark you are successful and if you run a marathon and don’t make a mark you are termed unsuccessful. It is for you to choose, which game to play. If you can’t perform as FM in the given circumstances, change the track, ask for a job you love. Agreed that you can’t ask Sukhbir Singh Badal for help but you certainly can go to your Uncle (Parkash Singh Badal) and ask him to give you the challenge you can take. Don’t shy away. You are left with half of your term now. Go and ask for another portfolio. Go and tell the CM that you will like to be the Minister for Printing and Stationery or any other trivial department. But take the challenge, bring revolutionary changes. You have to come up to the expectations of the people of Punjab.

It will be a tough decision but I think that you are a tough man. Shed the clothes of a Politician. Be yourself. Be Manpreet Singh Badal. The Manpreet, we admired.

The Brave Pen.

July, 8, 2009.