Guru's disciples and Manmohan's cabinet colleagues

Long, long ago there was a guru. He had two disciples- Ramu and Somu. He told Ramu to take care of his right leg and Somu his left leg. Everyday Ramu and Somus used to clean, wash and dry the right and left legs respectively of the guru.

One day when Ramu was washing the right leg, the mug with water slipped from his hand and injured the left leg of the guru.

Somu, who was watching this was furious. How dare Ramu injure the left leg which was under his care!

Somu took his mug with water and threw at the right leg of the guru. Somu was satisfied.

Guru was bleeding from both the legs!

That was a story by Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

Now read the following.

Anand Sharma, Union Commerce and Industries Minister presented the National Manufacturing Policy in the recent Cabinet Meeting. The Policy seeks to increase the share of manufacturing sector in the GDP from the current 15% to 25% and create 100 mill jobs by 2020. Everyone is aware that the Industrial output grew by a paltry 3.3% in July-2011 compared to 8.8% in June and 9.9% last year. Capital goods output declined by 15%. Can there be a more pressing moment for adopting National Manufacturing Policy?

Jayanti Natarajan, the Environment Minister does not think so. Why? Because in her opinion some aspects of the Policy relating to Special Economic Zones encroach her fiefdom; because it relaxes some impractical environment  laws; and finally it takes away some of her powers. She would not allow the same. (Irony is that these were all agreed to by her predecessor, the tough Jayram Ramesh a few months back.)

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Union Labour Minister does not think so. Why? Because it proposes to relax some archaic labour laws.

Result? The National Manufacturing Policy is sent to cold storage.

Nation suffers just as Guru’s both the legs were bleeding.

PS: I was happy a few months back when Manmohan Singhinducted Jayanti Natarajan into his cabinet because we would be saved of her histrionics in the TV debates. I was wrong. As a spokesperson of Congress, she was a mere nuisance; as a Minister she is a disaster.