If a nation has to be reminded that the Prime Minister doesn’t inevitably signify brute power and crafty political manipulations, that the Prime Minister doesnt inevitably signify brute power and crafty political manipulations, that the Prime Minister can be an embodiment of erudition and grace, you don’t have to dig deep into history to discover a Jawaharlal Mehru. You found Manmohan Singh barely a decade ago, a leader whose wisdom and humility accorded dignity to politics that has degenerated so much as to evoke ridicule, fear and saspicion from the masses. Manmohan Singh, who not only If a nation has to be reminded steered India out of economic turbulence as the Finance Minister in early Nineties but introduced the revolutionary right-based legislations as the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014, breathed his last this evening at the ripe age of &2 His demise, though immensely tragic, should trigger a national vearning for decency and brilliance in politics.
Amidst the obscene politcal propaganda nowadays, one is tempted to recall what the American president Barack Obama said about Manmohan Singh, “When he speaks, the world listens!” This wasn’t an off-the-cuff remark as Obama later wrote in his in his memoir, “For the duration of his tenure as- Prime Minister, I would find Singh to be wise, thoughtful, and serupulously honest.” He said Manmohan was & politician with uncommon wisdom and decency. While his simplicity and decency were extraordinary, Manmohans personal integrity remained beyond reproach. He exited the corridors of power without any taint on his persona despite holding so many key posts like Planning Commission chief, RBI governor, Finance Minister and the Prime Minister. Barring some unsubstantiated barbs from his successor, even his enemies praised Manmohan’s honesty.
Manmohan’s personal traits appear 50 precious today when we see politicians giving genocide calls and trading in falsehood, ministers making incendiary speeches, parliamentarians idolizing Gandhi’s assassin and issuing threats, legislators being caught for roting and rape. The presence of politicians like Manmohan blunted the negative perceptions of the people about politicians. The intelligentsia as well as the ordinary folks on the streets saw In him a genuine person even as many were opposed to his economic philosophy of liberalisation.
Manmohan too understood the ills of reckless liberalisation and free market and adopted a different approach as the Prime Minister, bringing in welfare schemes like MGNREGA, Food Security Act, Right to Information and Right to Education. No regime in independent India lifted more people out of poverty than the UPA headed by him, He delivered better economic growth than others who accused him of policy paralysis. Singh demonstrated prime-ministerial dignity in his conduet and speech; protecting himself from the natural vices like arrogance of power and conspiracies against rivals. Even in election campaigns, he avoided vilification of opponents and false propaganda.
A doctorate in economics from Oxford, he began his career as an academic, moving on to become a bureaucrat and policymaker, finally joining politics as the Finance Minister in 1991 when the then Prime Minister invited him to rebuild India’s economy. As Finance Minister, he introduced economic reforms that rescued India from near-bankruptcy. It was he who dismantled the License Raj, reduced trade barriers, and opened India’s economy to foreign investment, marking a shift from a conservative and closed planned economy.
‘While Manmohan wasn’t considered to be a shrewd politician, he subtly demonstrated political maturity and skills to manage coalitions and handled veteran contemporaries like Sharad Pawar, Pranab Mukherjee and Arjun Singh without any noticeable conflicts. He showed nerves of steel when the Left threatened to pull down his Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal, boldly facing the political challenge instead of giving in. His calm and graceful handling of Congress parties’ internal complexities, including his delicate relationship with Sonia Gandhi who happened to be the supreme leader of the party then, showed he could manage pulls and pressures without the guile and resourcefulness of seasoned politicians. Today, his prophetic words – that history will judge me kindly – are bound to come true. He will be remembered as a great Prime Minister who was animated by his work ethics and intellect, commitment and humility. He rarely tried to deploy deceitful methods to find his way. He instead staked his personal integrity and wisdom to overcome insurmountable hurdles. His tenure as the Prime Minister will be remembered for sanity and substance, not bluff and bluster.
