Recently, former Prime Minister of India, Shri Manmohan Singh, died of old age. Tributes poured in, hailing him as one of India's most extraordinary Prime Ministers. Albeit lower in the ranking than the Gandhi dynasty PMs! Mr. Singh, a Finance Minister in PM P.V. Narasimha Rao's government, is primarily credited for liberalizing India's economy in 1991. Fast forward a decade or so, and Mr. Singh was selected to be the Prime Minister of India in 2004 by his party's chief, Sonia Gandhi. Mr. Singh played that role for 10 years, presiding over some of the biggest scandals in post-independent India. Mr. Singh was not known to be loquacious, but he virtually turned mute in his second term. He refused to speak with the Press and forgot that it was his constitutional expectation to have a dialogue with his fellow citizens. Mr. Singh didn't even take the chance to call out his inept and corrupt ministers for their glaring incompetence and dishonesty.
The country's economy stalled, and constant controversies completely paralyzed the decision-making in the government. It is hard to know why Mr. Singh did not take any steps to stop the scandals, fire the corrupt ministers, or attempt to make critical decisions. While his reputation as a noncorrupt PM remained unblemished, his reputation as a PM nose-dived. Mr. Singh's political masters refused to acknowledge the impact of Mr. Singh's meek leadership on India or the subsequent general election. The party got drubbing of historic proportion, and much of that blame lay at Mr. Singh's feet. After losing power, instead of graciously retiring, Mr. Singh remained an upper house member. Unsurprisingly, he continued to assail the next government on the key issues he would have championed in his days.
Mr. Singh's political career is a story of prioritizing serving the Gandhi family above the country and presiding over some of the biggest scandals since India's independence. Back in 1991, a period when he did not directly serve Gandhi, he opened the Indian economy to the world. How much credit should we credit Mr. Singh for liberalization? Close reading of decision-making at that time will tell a different story. Mr. Singh did not want to or even championed liberalizing the economy. Multiple bad decisions successive Congress governments made in the past two decades finally caught up. India was about to face the harsh reality of economic pain and depredation. To stave off that scenario, Mr. Singh and his finance ministry decided to open up the Indian economy. It is worth noting that by design or sheer happenstance, Mr. Singh's tenure as a finance minister also saw some of the biggest financial scandals of those days. Presiding over scandals while continuing to showcase how he is the Saint of Uncorrupt is the game Mr. mastered during his term as the Prime Minister. We can argue that, during his period as PM of India, his absolute and utmost deference to Sonia Gandhi borders slave mentality.
Mr. Singh did not understand that he expected to govern and serve the people of India. Instead, he thought that his priority was to serve Sonia Gandhi. At least by one account, he always said that 'there cannot be two power centers.' He was correct, but being PM meant he was to be the power center and not Sonia Gandhi. As his premiership descended into chaos, his legacy lurched from one scandal into another. But then, what else can be expected from a person who is 'selected' to be the PM? The people of India did not elect him; why would he worry about serving them? One glaring example that encapsulates his governance is his meekly surrendering his constitutional authority and responsibility to NAC - National Advisory Committee- a non-elected, non-governmental, and non-constitutional authority run by Sonia Gandhi that essentially took decisions on behalf of the government. This sort of set-up was not only an affront to Indian democracy, but it was unconstitutional. Yet. Mr. Singh remained quiet. Maybe his sole hope lay in receiving a grand state farewell as he embarked on his next journey: something that eluded his former boss and our former PM, Mr. Narasimha Rao.
Not many people get the opportunity to lead a country. Mr. Singh had that opportunity not once but twice. Instead of using his intelligence to improve the nation and benefit his fellow citizens, he leaves behind no meaningful legacy. History will not need to be kind to him; he will merely be a footnote!
