White paper: It's politics above economic fidelity

Even as political tools, such documents perform better by aiming for broad credibility. Its archival value would've been notable had it taken an even-handed look at the UPA decade

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The white paper brought out by the government last week is an excellent document from a campaign perspective. As an assessment of the economic performance of the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014), however, it falls short. The United Progressive Alliance, riven as it was by coalition pressures and constrained by weak leadership, was far from a model of good governance. But nor was it the disaster this white paper makes it out to be. There can be no cavil at the proposition that the present BJP-led NDA government has been more decisive on policy, more effective in building physical infrastructure and also picked capable leadership for the central bank.