Sardar Manmohan
Sigh became the 13th Prime minister of India in the year 2004 (not
chronologically but people wise) when his party leader Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, an
Italian turned Indian and also the wife of slain former Prime minister Rajiv
Gandhi, refused to adorn the PM Chair after the Congress winning the election
that year by deposing the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). For a family that ruled India for 65 % of the
independent era till 2004, the sacrifice of giving away the hot seat was done
by ensuring a crony PM in the seat and Manmohan Singh fitted the bill very well,
for he was part of no group within congress and his loyalty to the family was
absolutely TOTAL. Also, having no
political base of his own (he represented the upper house of parliament as a
nominated member of Assam State), he would be in no position to usurp the so called
“first family” of the country. In
comparison with other PM aspirants like Pranab Mukherji, AK antony, Arjun Singh
etc., the family knew that with Singh on the chair, it would have perfect
control of everything; power, position
and money
Academically
brilliant, Dr Singh did his doctorate in Economics from Oxford University.
After having worked in UNCTAD for two years, he came back to India to become a
professor of International trade in Delhi School of Economics. Later he became
a bureaucrat as an advisor to Central Minister of Trade & Commerce and
thereafter, ascended to prestigious positions as the Chief Economic advisor to
the Country’s Finance Minister, Governor of Reserve Bank of India and the coveted
post of Deputy Chairman of Indian Planning Commission! When Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister
of India in the year 1991, he handpicked Manmohan Singh as his finance
minister. The peculiarity of India’s economic position then demanded a forward
thinking economist to change the financial fortunes of the country and as
finance minister of India, Singh truly did wonders by opening up Indian economy
and also by ensuring fastest economic growth for the nation from then on. One
could easily give him full credit of bringing financial independence to Indians
who otherwise languished so poorly in a closed up economy dictated by
socialistic democratic (!) norms.
All the
while as a minister, he was always very calm, never was part of group politics in
Congress Party (for which the party is very famous) and he never blew his own trumpet.
He was completely obedient to his political masters. And his integrity was
unquestionable. Lo and behold, Madam Gandhi gave the hot seat away by gifting
it to Manmohan Singh, knowing fully well that he would completely be loyal to
the family, come what may! This consistent, dogged loyalty gave him 10 years as
the Prime Minister of India. While he allowed the back seat driving pleasures
to Sonia Gandhi, in his own way, he tried to grow the country. In his first
term, the nation grew very well and as a result, the people rewarded the
Congress to return to power after the elections for another five years. Nobody
would ever refute that it is only thanks to the good governance delivered to
the country that Manmohan Singh was returned to power for another term, a feat other
than Nehru, no PMs could achieve, in independent India.
However,
nothing went well in his second term. It is not that he became complacent but
many elements worked against him. The power of coalition politics was at its
best wherein the regional parties such as DMK, TMC etc. made merry. Within his own party, a level of political polarization
took place in favour of Rahul Gandhi, the son of the Congress President and he
had to live with two masters than one. The Rahul Gandhi factor led to many embarrassments
and humiliations to Mr Singh. The cancer
of corruption, both within Congress and the various ministries, destroyed the
credibility of his rule during the second term. His own health was not at its
best. The multitudes of scams never allowed the smooth functioning of the Parliament
and governance went into disarray. Everything in the country needed a judicial
intervention. The people’s movements led
by Anna Hazare and Kejariwal added to his agony. Practically his second term
saw complete policy paralysis within the country. Its’ growth suffered,
inflation grew, Rupee failed and CAD went astray.
In the last
year, the Prince in waiting took control of the party and tried to fight the
election with a different perspective. But the damage was already done. While writing
this, the Election results are yet to be announced but it is expected that the
Congress would get the worst drubbing of its existence and the NDA led by BJP
is expected to ascend to power. That is where things lay as of now.
How would
posterity remember Manmohan Singh ? A
weak Prime Minister or someone for whom the circumstances didn’t help to emerge
as a great PM?
On the plus
side, his contributions to the economic growth of the country both as FM and
later as PM, will ever be remembered. As PM, he also looked at welfare of the
downtrodden with great concern. Several programs such as MNREGS, Food Security
Bill etc. were carved out to help the rural, unemployed, poverty stricken countrymen.
He took India to higher levels in world
order (e.g. G20). His integrity and character were impeccable (something we can
seldom speak about all those great personalities of the country).
On the minus
side, he was tied down by the party boss and the coalition polity. There were
only a few instances of him putting his foot down on policy making (e.g.
Nuclear Bill). He never could wade thru the quagmire, byzantine, ever-shifting
political currents around him and many times suffered in the process. His
communication, bodily and orally, was never inspiring.
His is a
case of a well-meaning, straight forward, brilliant academician and bureaucrat of
high integrity turning out as a Destiny’s child. As a professor in DSE, he
would never have thought adorning the PM’s hot seat, ever in his life. There
were several provocations on him during his PM ship that would have resulted in
a man of high self-esteem throw away and walk out. He was forced to eat humble
pie many times. But he swallowed all of it and held on to his chair. Why, you
may ask.
For an Economics
professor who had come to enjoy all those frills associated with power (PM’s perquisites,
foreign sojourns, position and equation with global statesmen), Manmohan Singh would have thought to give them
higher weightage than the pricking ego bashings that he had endured. I am sure,
he would have taken it as occupational hazard!
Time will
tell about him, wait and see………………………
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