For some reason, Indians believe that the kind of reforms that Narasimha Rao and Vajpayee governments are so keen on will not bring them any benefits and may in fact harm their interests. The net result is that resistance to reforms is growing and the more the government talks about reforms, the more unpopular it becomes. Of course, if the Congress forms the next government, which seems likely, going by the latest poll, Dr Singh will again be a strong candidate for finance minister. But the fact remains that the Congress is projecting itself increasingly as a party that does not approve of Vajpayee-type reforms and this has improved its political fortunes. This is a question nobody seems to have asked although it is key to their success or otherwise.
People suspect that reforms are only a screen to hide something much more terrible.
They believe that the government is actually trying to impose capitalism on the country in the name of reforms. People are not opposed to reforms but they are certainly opposed to capitalism, particularly if it is introduced clandestinely. And it is not just local capitalism that they object to, but global capitalism which is being given an entry in the name of globalisation. In a third world country, it is dangerous for a government to be known as a pawn in the hands of foreign capitalists. But this is what Indian governments are now increasingly believed to be.