Accidental PM

The Accidental Prime Minister

Last month a Hindi movie named ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, which was based on the book of the same name, and the book is based on the memories of  Sanjaya Baru, who was Media advisor of PM Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 08. All the Congressmen started objecting that the movie is being released during Election year, and alleged that the Producer & the Director have been backed by BJP. They forgot that, the book on which the movie is based was launched by Manmohan Singh himself. That time there was no hue and cry.

Now let us see the what was Manmohan Singh’s performance during his tenure as PM.

 It is well known fact that he was reluctant PM, and Prime Minister ship was thrusted upon him by Sonia Gandhi, as due to some political reasons she was unable to become PM so she proposed the name of Dr Manmohan Singh for Prime Minister. He being an Economist, who became Finance Minister in Narsimha Rao’s cabinet because Rao thought he being an economist will revive the Indian economy which was at its nadir in 1991. He was not a politician but a plain bureaucrat. Although he was PM, but total control of the party and govt was with Sonia Gandhi, who was also the Chairperson of UPA.  It has been said that all the important decision was taken in consultation with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and after her endorsement  he just implemented them. The problem being, he was not a mass leader and he did not have any base in Indian politics. He contested General election only once, which he lost. His entry to parliament was always through Rajya Sabha route. He being the only PM of the country who never won any general election for Member of parliament.

Although as an economist and diplomat he tried his level best and some of the things by which nation benefitted are –in his first term economic growth rate was 8 to 9%. The country achieved the highest growth rate of  9% in GDP during 2007. In the year 2005 Sales Tax was replaced by VAT (value added Tax). Healthy ministry started Rural health mission, whose ain was to mobilize more than half a million community health workers throughout the country. Eight  more IITs were started in states of Bihar , Andhra, Orrisa, Punjab, MP, Rajasthan & Himachal during 2004-09.

 

Two important legislations were passed in 2005- The National Rural Empolyment Gurantee Act(NREGA) and Right to Information (RTI) were enacted by Parliament. While the NREGA achieved marginal success in some rural areas, while RTI act proved to be beneficial in country’s fight against corruption. New cash benefits were also introduced for pregnant women, landless persons & widows.

Although his first term as PM was not controversial, but by the end of his first term scams committed by his cabinet ministers, starting to become public. It was in his 2^nd term of PM that his silence kept nation guessing whether  as a PM  has he got control on his cabinet ministers or not. As if there was no govt in the office, Ministers were running their Ministries as per their whims and fancies and PM never questioned them. As Ministers of alliance partners never listened to him knowing politically in Congress he is nothing, and what ever their problems in the alliance, were discussed with Congress High Command.

 

One noted  Political Historian once commented – quote“ The The story of Singh’sdramatic fall from grace in his second term in office and the slow but steady tarnishing of his reputation has played out in parallel with his country’s decline. As India’s economy has slowed and as its reputation for rampant corruption has reasserted itself, the idea that the country was on an impossible road to becoming a global power has increasingly come into question. More and more, he has become a tragic figure in our history” .Un quote.

 

More over irony is that his strongest points of his incorruptibility and vast experience in economy paled in front his govt’s performance in other fields, which was full of corruption in every ministry. Scams like 2g Scam, Coal Scam and Commonwealth game scam, further tarnished the image of his govt. There was total chaos in Public sector companies, as all the ministers were interested in dis investment in these companies and wanted to favour friendly businessmen.

 

In this way, he transformed himself from an object of honour and respect to one of ridicule, and the 2^nd term became the worst period of his life. It had became a joke that  Mobile phone on silent mode was known as on Manmohan Singh mode.

 

There was one more thing- Congress never accepted the 2009 victory was due to Manmohan Singh’s clean image and his govt’s policies, and resented the idea that why he should be given credit and seen to any where near as important as a member of Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia’s son was being groomed to take over from Singh, so therefore PM has to be cut to size.

 

Manmohan Singh will go down in history as  first  Sikh PM and country’s third longest serving PM, but also some one who did not know when to retire. Expert said that he should have resigned mid way during his second term and let Rahul Gandhi take over from him , which Sonia wanted, but  was afraid to do because she knew, at the time of next general election then Rahul will be blamed for all the scams, which might hit his prospects, so she decided let Manmohan Singh continue, so she can project Rahul as fresh youth face of new Congress. But fate had some other ideas, and Congress lost the election miserably, and Sonia’s dream of making his son Rahul the next PM was shattered.  So in the back of his mind, Manmohan Singh must have had the last laugh.

 

Waiting for your comments/feed backs/views on this blog.

 

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India,

20^th Feb, 2019.