The Hindu Business Line : This shine is by all

India's shine is for all, and there is data to prove that the Congress has worked as much and perhaps better to make the shine happen. It has the right to showcase its accomplishments. But what is surprising is that the Congress and its current allies are unaware that they have contributed significantly to India's economic growth.

"Indian exuberance is tinged with the rhetoric of an electoral contest. So good are Indians believed to feel about themselves and their government that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has decided to bring forward the general election due by October to this spring."

— Simon Long in The Economist's Survey on India, February 21, 2004

MR SIMON Long has been very `generous' and apt to describe the economic exuberance in India as an `Indian' exuberance. He has not described it as one that belongs only to the constituents of India's ruling coalition. The economic exuberance belongs to all.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the one hand, and the Indian National Congress (Congress) and its allies, on the other, have played a positively significant role in making Indians feel better about themselves, their economic well-being and their government.

But Mr Long is wholly wrong to urge us and the world to believe that the exuberance is tinged with the rhetoric of electoral politics, rivalries and contests.

If the rhetoric of electoral contests were really important, the Congress and its electoral allies would have claimed the credit — and deservedly so — for doing the most to make the economy tick better and to make Indians feel better about themselves.

It is surprising that the Congress has chosen to overlook the data on the economic performance in the States that were governed between 1999 and 2003 by chief ministers belonging to the Congress, those belonging to its ideological and electoral allies, and those belonging to the NDA.

The Congress and its allies may be in a predicament similar to Mr Long's. They may have no access to economic data or no aptitude to analyse data pertinent to economic performance of the States. Or, they may earnestly believe that they would reap electoral gains by rejecting the idea that India's economy is ticking better.

Someone's got to tell

But it is not surprising that the Government of India has chosen to showcase India's achievements to citizens at home and to the world at large.

Political opponents of the BJP and its allies may cynically argue that the `India Shining' campaign launched by the Government of India provides a political and electoral advantage to the constituents of the NDA.

But there can be no better institution than the Government of India to play the role of communicator. Well, someone has to tell the world how well India is doing.

From such a perspective, the argument that the NDA has acted with responsibility and with the nation's interests in mind is wholly defensible.

The BJP and its allies have not passed up the opportunity to tell the world what they have accomplished. If the Congress and its allies have passed up the opportunity to tell the world what they have accomplished, it is their lost opportunity.

The Congress and its allies could yet `rediscover' their past accomplishments and make economic performance the central issue in the coming elections. They could show how much they have contributed to India's shine and inner vitality.

They could present to the electorate what they plan to pursue so as to do better than they did in the past.

They could also present their view of India's future and say how they will do better than the NDA. It would be a pity if the Congress and its allies did none of these.

Congress portfolio

Chief ministers belonging to the Congress, to parties that are its permanent ideological allies and to those that are its electoral allies for the 2004 elections governed 17 States and Union Territories between 1999 and 2003.

This list includes Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttaranchal and West Bengal.

This list excludes Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. It also excludes Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Orissa and Sikkim.

The excluded States have either been governed by chief ministers belonging to the BJP and its allies; by chief ministers who belong to the Congress and its allies but not throughout the 1999-2003 period; or by chief ministers who belong to parties that were not the Congress's allies while in power or are no longer regarded as allies. Tamil Nadu is an example of the third category.

When the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power between 1999 and 2001, it was an ally of the BJP. The All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been in power since 2001, but is now an ally of the BJP.

Congress shining

Between 1999 and 2003, the 17 States governed by the Congress or by its ideological `mates' outperformed States governed by other parties, especially the BJP and its ideological `mates'.

The purchasing power of the portfolio of these 17 States increased considerably compared to the portfolios comprising other States.

The Congress portfolio performed significantly well. The per capita purchasing power of people in the Congress portfolio increased by Rs 7,651 while that in the `other than Congress' portfolio increased by Rs 6,264.

The average per capita purchasing power for India increased by Rs 7,024. If the Congress portfolio had done as poorly as the `other than Congress' portfolio, India may not be shining!

Why is Congress shying?

It is surprising that the Congress has disassociated itself from the `India Shining' campaign launched by the Government of India.

It is a `national party' and no one would argue that it should wholly and comprehensively disassociate itself from the `India Shining' campaign.

It is the principal political party that is engaged in a grand race to claim the right to govern India and it would be apt if it projected itself as a party that knows how to manage economic development for the people.

India's shine is for all, and there is data to prove that the Congress has worked as much and perhaps better to make the shine happen.

The Congress has the right to showcase its accomplishments. It would not be insanely suicidal for it to endorse the `India Shining' campaign and yet hope to unseat the NDA Government.

It can show how better it can do and what timeframe it requires to push purchasing power higher and across India.

But what is surprising is that the Congress and its current allies are unaware that they have contributed significantly to India's economic growth. Is the Congress too shy to shine?

(The author is a financial analyst. Feedback may be sent to indiagrow@sify.com)