Dr Manmohan Singh entered Indian politics with the reputation of being the architect of economic reforms in the 1990s. When he became Prime Minister in 2004, many believed he would replicate that success. However, history remembers his ten years in office from 2004 to 2014 not as a decade of bold leadership but as a period marked by silence, policy paralysis, terrorism, corruption, and subservience to Sonia Gandhi. The so-called economist Prime Minister became more of a rubber stamp, watching silently as the nation suffered.
The first and perhaps most glaring failure of Dr Manmohan Singh’s premiership was national security. India witnessed a series of deadly terrorist attacks during his tenure. In July 2006, the Mumbai train bombings killed over 200 people and injured more than 700. In February 2007, the Samjhauta Express blast killed 68 people, most of them Pakistanis. In November 2008, the horrific Mumbai 26/11 attacks shook the nation, leaving 166 dead and over 300 injured. In 2010, Pune’s German Bakery blast killed 17 and injured more than 60. The 2011 Mumbai bombings killed 26 and injured over 130. Repeated terror incidents in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and other cities during this period demonstrated India’s vulnerability.
Despite Pakistan’s role being exposed again and again, Dr Manmohan Singh never took decisive action. Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11, continued to roam freely in Pakistan, addressing rallies. Even the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s case dragged for years, and Dr Manmohan Singh did little to speed up justice. India, under his watch, looked weak and indecisive in front of terrorists and their sponsors.
Dr Manmohan Singh was celebrated as an economist, yet his Prime Ministership saw the economy decline sharply. In 2004, India’s GDP growth rate was above 8 percent. By 2012-13, it had fallen to nearly 4.5 percent, the lowest in a decade. Inflation was one of the highest concerns for ordinary Indians. Food inflation touched double digits, and overall retail inflation crossed 11 percent in 2013. The rupee collapsed from around 45 per dollar in 2004 to nearly 68 per dollar by 2013. Job creation, which should have been a priority for an economist Prime Minister, came to a standstill. Between 2005 and 2010, only about 2.7 million jobs were created, compared to over 60 million in the previous decade.
Dr Manmohan Singh’s government became synonymous with scams and corruption. The 2G spectrum scam, estimated at a loss of 1.76 lakh crore rupees, exposed the loot of public resources. The Commonwealth Games scam worth around 70,000 crore rupees brought global shame to India. The Coalgate scam, involving illegal allocation of coal blocks, caused an estimated loss of 1.86 lakh crore rupees. Other scandals like the Adarsh Housing scam and the Satyam scam added to the tainted image of his government.
What shocked the nation more than the scams themselves was Dr Manmohan Singh’s silence. He was informed about irregularities yet failed to act. His defenders argued that he was personally honest, but honesty without action means complicity. His helplessness in front of corrupt ministers showed that he was merely occupying the chair, not leading the country.
One of the most damaging aspects of Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure was his dependence on Sonia Gandhi. Important decisions were not taken by the elected Prime Minister but by the Congress president. Policy directions came from the National Advisory Council led by Sonia Gandhi rather than from Dr Manmohan Singh’s cabinet. The Prime Minister’s Office became weak, and the world saw that the real authority lay with the Gandhi family. A leader who cannot assert independence loses the moral right to govern. Dr Manmohan Singh, despite being educated and experienced, allowed himself to be reduced to a puppet, damaging the dignity of the office.
For ordinary citizens, Dr Manmohan Singh’s decade was marked by rising prices and declining purchasing power. Between 2004 and 2014, the price of petrol rose from about 35 rupees a litre to 73 rupees. The price of onions crossed 80 rupees per kilogram in 2013, symbolising the government’s failure to control inflation. The Consumer Price Index averaged above 10 percent during 2009 to 2013, making life miserable for the poor and middle class. While the rich found ways to escape the impact of inflation, the working class bore the brunt of mismanagement.
When Dr Manmohan Singh took office, India had the opportunity to build on its strong growth trajectory and rising global profile. Instead, the nation was subjected to a lost decade. His silence in the face of scams, his failure to counter terrorism with firmness, his inability to control inflation, and his willingness to act as a puppet of Sonia Gandhi left India weaker. The Congress party often projected him as a man of integrity, but integrity without courage is meaningless.