Of Accidental PM, FM and Reformer

A moment's reflection reveals how the majesty of the prime minister's office was undermined during Singh's decade-long tenure

It is customary to say good things about people after their death. And here we are talking about Manmohan Singh. The death of the former prime minister has unleashed a Niagara of praise from the who's who in politics, business, and industry. A few bureaucrats and economists have added personal reminiscences. "Father of reforms" is the common thread running through the tributes. Others have highlighted his humility, decency, and integrity. He has been called an accidental prime minister. But everyone seems to have overlooked two other accidents in his life: He was also an accidental finance minister and, more importantly, an accidental reformer. Let us dispose of all three accidents one by one.

Singh was nominated prime minister by Sonia Gandhi because she couldn't become one herself. What better than to put in the prime ministerial gaddi someone whose reputation for docility and obedience had preceded him? He could be trusted to remain humble and true to his boss at 10 Janpath, grateful for the notional prime ministership, much to the chagrin of veteran Congressmen who had spent a lifetime singing hallelujahs to the Family. The problem with Pranab Mukherjee and Arjun Singh was that they were wily old politicos who couldn't be trusted. The humble, meek, and soft-spoken Singh could be relied upon not to develop a vertebra in his spine. He never did.