In April 2020 – exactly a year ago – I published an essay in the Hindustan Times urging the prime minister to adopt a more consultative approach towards decision-making. “In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic,” I wrote, “the country faces probably its greatest challenge since Partition… This pandemic and its fallout have already led to enormous human suffering, and this will multiply. In this scenario, to restore social trust and to rebuild the economy may be beyond the abilities of one man and his small circle of trusted advisers.”
Having outlined the broader problem, I went on to offer, gratuitously I suppose, a series of specific recommendations. So I said: “The prime minister could do worse than consult former finance ministers who have experience in crisis management, even if they owe allegiance to the Congress. Former finance secretaries and governors of the Reserve Bank of India with relevant expertise could be consulted too. The…