Prime minister who let his actions speak

Manmohan Singh was a man of few words, and he uttered those precious few words very softly. Opponents used this to paint him as weak, but there are enough instances to the contrary

- Shashi Shekhar

How will I be judged by history? Did Manmohan Singh grapple with the question as many leaders do? Maybe that was why he once said, "History will judge me more kindly." The answer to this question is straightforward.

Look at the newspaper headlines of the last three days. They are all filled with praise for him. Social media is replete with thousands of posts and videos related to him. Such a shower of accolades by a society quick to forget even its greatest luminaries, on a person who faded into political oblivion a decade ago, shows his work will receive due recognition even as the years pass.

I will give you a few examples to prove my point. A group of journalists were once accompanying Prime Minister (PM) Singh on a visit to Beijing. Singh's media adviser, Sanjay Baru, announced that the PM will be speaking with us on the flight. His government was surviving at the mercy of the Left parties at the time. The Left was unyielding in its position that India didn't need nuclear energy and was stridently against any deal with the United States (US). It had made it amply clear that if the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government went ahead with a deal with the US, it would immediately withdraw support.

The PM, on being asked how his government will have a deal with the US when the biggest coalition partner was threatening to walk out on the issue, replied, "Not all our wishes need to be realised; at times, we have to step back for the greater good."