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A Leader Let Down by His Party and His Country:
Manmohan Singh

MARK TULLY

 

 

 

In all the din of a particularly noisy and bitter election campaign one thing is certain -- at the end of it Manmohan Singh will not be the prime minister.

After reading books by Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru and former coal secretary PC Parakh the media are sending him out not with a bang but a whimper.

But that’s the fate of most prime ministers.

Even the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was eventually brutally bundled off stage by her own party.

As Manmohan Singh departs who remembers that in 2009 his palpable honesty and the achievements of his first government contributed significantly to the Congress victory?

The media portrays Manmohan Singh as a prime minister in bondage to the Congress president and too weak to act against corrupt colleagues. His critics forget that all prime ministers have limits on their power. One constraint is the party.

Baru records crucial occasions when Manmohan Singh stood his ground and rejected Sonia Gandhi’s view. But if it’s still true that he has been subservient to Sonia Gandhi then she and her party must be blamed for putting him in that position.

In his book Parakh has said Manmohan Singh “was unable to counter vested interests within his government and his party” when he wanted to change the method of allocating coal blocks. Why didn’t senior ministers support their prime minister? Parakh does praise Manmohan Singh for the support he gave him in bringing about changes in the coal ministry.

In his comparatively recent press conference Manmohan Singh admitted that he had failed to get the reforms in the allocation of spectrum and coal blocks through. But he has never complained of a lack of support from Sonia Gandhi. On the contrary he has claimed that his relationship with her has “worked exceedingly well”.

Justifying their relationship he has said that the views of the president of the Congress and indeed the vice-president “ought to be reflected in the thinking of the government to the extent that is possible”.

Manmohan Singh has failed to defend himself vigorously.

This, I believe, is because of his modesty.

Baru describes telling his boss he was trying to project his image and Manmohan Singh snapping back “I do not want my image to be projected”.

In an interview I did for the Cambridge Alumni Magazine just before he collected his honorary doctorate from the university, Manmohan Singh had the humility to admit that he was not a very good public speaker. He hoped he was getting better. His failure to do so is another reason I think for the bad press he gets.

In spite of the media’s interpretation of Baru’s book, the author has said he believes history will find it is “the strongest defence of the Manmohan Singh era”.

Although his government and the economy have flagged in the last two years or so I think history’s verdict will be much more positive than the current view of the era. Among the Manmohan Singh government’s many achievements are the Right to Information Act to combat corruption, the employment guarantee scheme to fulfil in part his commitment to inclusive economics, and economic growth at an average of 7.5% per year.

Of course there have been failures too -- for me the greatest has been the failure to fulfil his original commitment “to make the government more effective, efficient, and people friendly”. Maybe Manmohan Singh has done so but I certainly haven’t noticed it.

How will history see Manmohan Singh?

Perhaps as that rare commodity, an honest, unfashionably modest politician who was let down by his own party leadership, and his own ministerial colleagues, but soldiered on in spite of the humiliations he faced.

To me that’s not a bad verdict but the outgoing prime minister might not agree.


The author is a former chief of bureau of the BBC, New Delhi, India, and renowned author and columnist.


[Courtesy: Hindustan Times. Edited for sikhchic.com]
April 21, 2014
 
 

 

 

In all the din of a particularly noisy and bitter election campaign one thing is certain — at the end of it Manmohan Singh will not be the prime minister. After reading books by Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru and former coal secretary PC Parakh the media are sending him out not with a bang but a whimper. But that’s the fate of most prime ministers. Even the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was eventually brutally bundled off stage by her own party. As Singh departs who remembers that in 2009 his palpable honesty and the achievements of his first government contributed significantly to the Congress victory?

The media portrays Singh as a prime minister in bondage to the Congress president and too weak to act against corrupt colleagues. His critics forget that all prime ministers have limits on their power. One constraint is the party. Baru records crucial occasions when Singh stood his ground and rejected Sonia Gandhi’s view. But if it’s still true that he has been subservient to Sonia Gandhi then she and her party must be blamed for putting him in that position.

In his book Parakh has said Singh “was unable to counter vested interests within his government and his party” when he wanted to change the method of allocating coal blocks. Why didn’t senior ministers support their prime minister? Parakh does praise Singh for the support he gave him in bringing about changes in the coal ministry.

In his comparatively recent press conference Manmohan Singh admitted that he had failed to get the reforms in the allocation of spectrum and coal blocks through. But he has never complained of a lack of support from Sonia Gandhi. On the contrary he has claimed that his relationship with her has “worked exceedingly well”. Justifying their relationship he has said that the views of the president of the Congress and indeed the vice-president “ought to be reflected in the thinking of the government to the extent that is possible”.

Manmohan Singh has failed to defend himself vigorously. This, I believe, is because of his modesty. Baru describes telling his boss he was trying to project his image and Manmohan Singh snapping back “I do not want my image to be projected”.

In an interview I did for the Cambridge Alumni magazine just before he collected his honorary doctorate from the university, Manmohan Singh had the humility to admit that he was not a very good public speaker. He hoped he was getting better. His failure to do so is another reason I think for the bad press he gets.

In spite of the media’s interpretation of Baru’s book, the author has said he believes history will find it is “the strongest defence of the Manmohan Singh era”. Although his government and the economy have flagged in the last two years or so I think history’s verdict will be much more positive than the current view of the era. Among the Manmohan Singh government’s many achievements are the Right to Information Act to combat corruption, the employment guarantee scheme to fulfil in part his commitment to inclusive economics, and economic growth at an average of 7.5% per year. Of course there have been failures too — for me the greatest has been the failure to fulfil his original commitment “to make the government more effective, efficient, and people friendly”. Maybe Manmohan Singh has done so but I certainly haven’t noticed it.

How will history see Manmohan Singh? Perhaps as that rare commodity, an honest, unfashionably modest politician who was let down by his own party leadership, and his own ministerial colleagues, but soldiered on in spite of the humiliations he faced.

To me that’s not a bad verdict but the outgoing prime minister might not agree.

Mark Tully is a former chief of bureau of the BBC, New Delhi, and renowned author and columnist

- See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/analysis/manmohan-singh-a-modest-politician-let-down-by-his-party/article1-1210121.aspx#sthash.sb4WewGc.KfnNl672.dpuf

 

 

 

In all the din of a particularly noisy and bitter election campaign one thing is certain — at the end of it Manmohan Singh will not be the prime minister. After reading books by Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser Sanjaya Baru and former coal secretary PC Parakh the media are sending him out not with a bang but a whimper. But that’s the fate of most prime ministers. Even the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was eventually brutally bundled off stage by her own party. As Singh departs who remembers that in 2009 his palpable honesty and the achievements of his first government contributed significantly to the Congress victory?

The media portrays Singh as a prime minister in bondage to the Congress president and too weak to act against corrupt colleagues. His critics forget that all prime ministers have limits on their power. One constraint is the party. Baru records crucial occasions when Singh stood his ground and rejected Sonia Gandhi’s view. But if it’s still true that he has been subservient to Sonia Gandhi then she and her party must be blamed for putting him in that position.

In his book Parakh has said Singh “was unable to counter vested interests within his government and his party” when he wanted to change the method of allocating coal blocks. Why didn’t senior ministers support their prime minister? Parakh does praise Singh for the support he gave him in bringing about changes in the coal ministry.

In his comparatively recent press conference Manmohan Singh admitted that he had failed to get the reforms in the allocation of spectrum and coal blocks through. But he has never complained of a lack of support from Sonia Gandhi. On the contrary he has claimed that his relationship with her has “worked exceedingly well”. Justifying their relationship he has said that the views of the president of the Congress and indeed the vice-president “ought to be reflected in the thinking of the government to the extent that is possible”.

Manmohan Singh has failed to defend himself vigorously. This, I believe, is because of his modesty. Baru describes telling his boss he was trying to project his image and Manmohan Singh snapping back “I do not want my image to be projected”.

In an interview I did for the Cambridge Alumni magazine just before he collected his honorary doctorate from the university, Manmohan Singh had the humility to admit that he was not a very good public speaker. He hoped he was getting better. His failure to do so is another reason I think for the bad press he gets.

In spite of the media’s interpretation of Baru’s book, the author has said he believes history will find it is “the strongest defence of the Manmohan Singh era”. Although his government and the economy have flagged in the last two years or so I think history’s verdict will be much more positive than the current view of the era. Among the Manmohan Singh government’s many achievements are the Right to Information Act to combat corruption, the employment guarantee scheme to fulfil in part his commitment to inclusive economics, and economic growth at an average of 7.5% per year. Of course there have been failures too — for me the greatest has been the failure to fulfil his original commitment “to make the government more effective, efficient, and people friendly”. Maybe Manmohan Singh has done so but I certainly haven’t noticed it.

How will history see Manmohan Singh? Perhaps as that rare commodity, an honest, unfashionably modest politician who was let down by his own party leadership, and his own ministerial colleagues, but soldiered on in spite of the humiliations he faced.

To me that’s not a bad verdict but the outgoing prime minister might not agree.

Mark Tully is a former chief of bureau of the BBC, New Delhi, and renowned author and columnist

- See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/analysis/manmohan-singh-a-modest-politician-let-down-by-his-party/article1-1210121.aspx#sthash.sb4WewGc.KfnNl672.dpuf

 

Conversation about this article

1: Harinder Singh (Punjab), April 20, 2014, 11:15 AM.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh is a good PM and a good man. He worked very hard for the well-being of all the people of India and the world-at-large.

2: Sarvjit Singh (Massachusetts, USA), April 20, 2014, 4:08 PM.

If anybody is following the trend in Indian politics, then it would be so easy to infer that American style PAC, media blitzkrieg, beating the dead-horse till it is brought back to life approach is being applied in India also quite successfully. This is a new approach and a clear deviation from the UK model. Even Rahul Gandhi initiated this concept of primaries within his party. We all know that Manmohan Singh had no chance of becoming India's PM if his name was ever on the ballot. Indian voters are not evolved enough for direct voting of a non-Hindu PM candidate. With his educational background, strong result-driven economic liberalization policies from 1992-93 when India's Forex reserves were at their lowest ebb, he turned around the country to where it finds itself today. In the Indian bureaucratic circles even his critics acknowledge him a leader. His lack of political ambition and oratory just added the fuel to where this criticism is coming from. Just like Republicans in the USA are bent upon denying any political legacy to Obama, the opposition in India is trying to imitate the same strategy. Timing of these books is just a small attempt at this sort of mischief. You don't have to be a genius to read the obvious progress that during the last 10 years India has seen, despite the corruption, inflation or otherwise. Would it have been possible without Manmohan Singh? That is why he ruled for two complete terms successfully. I doubt it whether anyone else, in opposition or from Congress, can ever match his legacy.

3: Kaala Singh (Punjab), April 20, 2014, 7:11 PM.

Manmohan Singh was the "PM" of India, just like Zail Singh was the "President" of India and Buta Singh was the "Home Minister" of India!

4: Harman Singh (California, USA), April 20, 2014, 8:47 PM.

"An honest, unfashionably modest politician who was let down by his own party leadership, and his own ministerial colleagues, but soldiered on in spite of the humiliations he faced" - this is the best description I have read thus far of Manmohan Singh's 10 year term as Prime Minister.

5: Navraj (London, United Kingdom), April 21, 2014, 5:23 AM.

Manmohan Singh should have resigned when it was apparent that that he was not in control of the cabinet and the corrupt officials of the government. A good and an honest man sacrificed by the Congress party.

6: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), April 21, 2014, 5:54 AM.

Have been lucky enough to meet Mark Tully in his Office in Delhi. He is an honourable and fair man who contributed greatly to the extraordinary book, "Amritsar, Indira Gandhi's Last Battle", which every one should read as a must! This article by him is also a fair summing up of what happens to leaders when they carry on for long periods in power! Dr Manmohan Singh should have retired a couple of years ago and left office with fireworks and razzmatazz ...

7: N Singh (Canada), April 21, 2014, 7:29 PM.

@6 = I am not sure, Baldev Singh ji, if I would classify Mark Tully as an "honourable and fair man". Wasn't he a friend of Indira Gandhi and instrumental in labeling Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a 'terrorist'? How is that fair? It was my understanding that at one time it was rumored that he was on the payroll of the Indian Government and instrumental in pushing out their propaganda. I remember watching an interview with him and he described one incident when his foot had accidentally touched Sant Jarnail Singh's kirpan. Apparently the Sant 'glared' at him and Mark Tully said he was 'frighted' ... I ask you seriously, is this man for real? Anyone who is familiar with the Sikh temperament, has lived as long as he has in India and writes about the Sikhs would know that such a glare is part of the Sikh persona ... and Sikhs do not 'fright' anyone, certainly not for such trivial reasons. It was a deliberate and conscious attempt by Tully to defame the Sant's character and message.

8: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), April 22, 2014, 5:09 AM.

Commentator#7: a 'true' Sikh does not get involved in third world politics! The whole of this land politically and religiously is a zombie nightmare of foaming-at-the-mouth morbidly superstitious beings including a lot of Bramhin-corrupted Sikhs! What happened with Indira Gandhi and her 'blood for votes' strategy was truly evil but that is what happens in lands where there is little education and little money! If Mark Tully says he was frightened of a 'Sikh' then he has the right to say this, especially when so many people were being 'ordered' to be killed! There is no place in Sikhism for Sants and political killings and unless every Sikh household wakes up and dispenses with Hindu and other practices then having conversations about what happened in Amritsar in 1984 is completely futile and I suggest you do read Mark Tully's book then you will understand the dirty, murderous and barbaric Indian-Hindu Politics which for a small inducement Sikhs are willing to tarnish and drag their awesome faith through the dirt! What Sikhs should be doing is opening up their gurdwaras to the wider community and explaining our glorious and timeless ideology to a troubled and divided humanity on the brink!

9: N Singh (Canada), April 22, 2014, 12:25 PM.

@ Baldev Singh ji: The fact that Mark Tully has an OBE, a Padma Shree and Padma Bushan awards from the British and Indian governments respectively gives an indication of where his loyalty and biases lie. You are right, he has the right to be frightened but he also has the duty to be unbiased in his reporting.

10: Dr Birinder Singh Ahluwalia (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), April 22, 2014, 12:27 PM.

You are only let down if you are not an effective leader. Just look at the accomplishments of President Obama against headwinds which no leader in the history of the world had ever experienced (including Adams, Lincoln or Jefferson...). However, I wish PM Manmohan Singh all the best ... and to all his people as well.

11: Sarvjit Singh (Massachusetts, USA), April 22, 2014, 4:57 PM.

Commentator #9: What is wrong with being rewarded by the Govt? Sardar Jassa Singh and many a Misldaar received a Khillat from Abdali too! I think Mark Tully has the right to express his opinion freely. And if Bhindarawale looked at him and Tully got frightened, so be it! He can report his experience. For that matter, my Amritdhari French-Canadian wife was scared and rudely spoken to by a Nihang Singh in Takht Keshgarh Sahib. We as Sikhs definitely have attitude and perception issues that are non-conforming to the times, which is truly causing negative PR in the West. Except for the young generation, most of the Sikhs seem to nurture and treasure a stern and arrogant demeanor.

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Manmohan Singh"









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