I would give Manmohan 8 out of 10 as PM, says Sunil Mittal

Over the past couple of years India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became the target of increasing criticism, bordering on vitriol, as political opponents upped their offensive in the run-up to the just concluded 2014 elections. Singh, the face of UPA-2, remained silent through it all, without offering any explanations for how so many scams came to light under his watch. [caption id=“attachment_1521777” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Manmohan Singh. AFP[/caption] Few have jumped to the Prime Minister’s aid, or defended the man responsible for the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991. A recent piece by Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises for Economic Times paints the picture of a very different Singh - not the one who is media shy and the target of disdain, but the intellectual who is respected by anyone who interacts with him.

Having participated in several important meetings led by the Prime Minister, in particular the CEO forums between India and the US, UK, Russia and Japan and many others, I have witnessed the deep impact he has made on the world stage espousing India’s position and securing advantages for India and its industry. 

Mittal also recounted several other instances where he saw the respect Singh has earned over the years. Citing several of Singh’s counterparts, Mittal writes that in his interaction with leaders from across the world, he found that Singh was known as a “Wise Man, an outstanding Economist and a fine Gentleman.”

I had the chance to witness the evolution of the Nuclear Deal into Dr. Singh’s legacy as he assiduously, piece by piece, crafted the Indo-US nuclear deal against all odds including risking his government. 

The recent book by the PM’s media advisor and chief spokesperson Sanjaya Baru sparked off controversy when it  confirmed what had long been speculated: Sonia Gandhi, Congress party president held significant sway over the functioning of the Prime Minister’s Office. Even though Baru has since clarified that he intended to paint a sympathetic image of Singh, the book gave enough fodder to those who bought into the message that Singh was, as senior BJP leader LK Advani said, “the weakest prime minister of India.” While exit polls for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections predict a landslide win for the BJP and the opposition rolls up its sleeves to get take on the responsibility of governing the country, Mittal’s piece is a good reminder that Singh’s legacy is more than the what campaign speeches have made of him. Read the complete article here.