Decline of Indira's Government

Speculations about policy changes and of Cabinet reshuffIes were one of the few exercises that special correspondents were hardly called upon to undertake during Nehru's seventeen years as Prime Minister. Under Shastri, policies were changed without publicity and the solitary instance of TTK's exit from the Cabinet was so neatly managed that the fairly alert press corps in the Capital was taken by surprise.

But times have changed, and this itself is a sign of the rather ricketty state of affairs at the Centre. Major policy changes came to light without the Government being able to give any cogent or consistent explanation. The classic example was of course provided by the devaluation of the rupee — almost in one and the same breath the official spokes men hailed it as paving the way towards self reliance and confessed being forced by the compulsion of' aid getting  This was so glaringly demonstrated when, on the morrow of this major decision in Indian eco nomy, a perspiring Sachin Chaudhuri rather pathetically told pressmen: "Mr. Boothalingam will answer your questions." This was. of course, on June 6, long before the PAC storm found Chaudhuri himself answering questions on Boothalingam's indis creations.