New Delhi: Manmohan Singh had very few admirers in the Congress in his 10 years as prime minister. He was often at the receiving end of party snipers who found his economic reforms agenda and lack of mass base a liability.
But six years after demitting office, he has become the Congress’ go-to man whenever it needs a credible face and voice to take on Narendra Modi, his successor, be it on the India-China stand-off, the state of the economy, or management of the Covid-19 crisis.
Singh’s blistering attack on Modi last Monday, when he indirectly accused him of spreading “disinformation” about Chinese intrusions across the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, and questioned his “diplomacy and decisive leadership”, was not something new. Whenever the Congress has found its attacks on Modi government failing to resonate with the people, it has fielded the former PM, whatever be the issue — demonetisation and “mismanagement” of the economy being prominent examples.
The former PM also hit out at the Modi government for the country’s Covid testing rate, saying: “India can’t conquer Covid-19 without aggressive testing.”
In February, Singh, also an economist, former RBI governor and Union finance minister, had advised Modi to “stop headline management and focus on reviving the economy”.
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‘History will be kinder’
In 2014, Manmohan Singh had hoped that history would be kinder to him than the media. That holds truer for his own party’s assessment of his worth.
On many occasions, Singh had found himself publicly rebuffed by his colleagues, most notably in 2013, when Rahul Gandhi tore into an ordinance brought in by Singh’s administration to protect convicted MPs and MLAs.
In 2009, Singh’s joint statement with then-Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh had caused quite an upheaval within the Congress party for what the party leaders believed was “diluting” India’s stand against terrorism.
‘Sober and measured voice’
Congress leaders say the former PM’s “sober and measured voice” and his popular perception as a “man of governance” is being capitalised on to attack Modi.
Former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said Singh’s voice stands in contrast to that of PM Modi. “When you have a PM who is so aggressive and pushy, it is understood that people will want to turn to a more steady and calm voice amid the chaos. He is that voice,” Khurshid told ThePrint.
However, Khurshid also admitted that the former PM is using bolder language than usual.
“He is not a pushy person; he is very withdrawn and careful with his words. But in the present circumstances, he is using tougher words because this is a very critical moment in all of India’s history. So, he is being much more assertive,” he said.
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Contrast with Rahul Gandhi
What Khurshid didn’t say is how Singh’s measured and dignified language even in his attacks on his successor stand in sharp contrast with Rahul Gandhi’s shrill and no-holds-barred diatribe against Modi, which ends up alienating people.
Gandhi’s attack and criticism of the BJP government’s handling of the country’s stand-off with China has included punning on the PM’s name in a tweet, calling him ‘Surender Modi’ by playing on the word ‘surrender’ in the context of the Congress leader’s perception of the government’s handling of the border affairs.
Gandhi has been known for this though — after India’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 2016, he had accused Modi of indulging in “khoon ki dalali”, for what he believed was his attempt to seek political capital out of the death of soldiers in terror attacks.
“You are hiding behind the blood of the soldiers… aap khoon ki dalali kar rahe ho,” he had said.
Gandhi has often received flak for using ‘intemperate’ language to attack PM Modi.
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Man of governance
Political analysts suggest that the choice of Singh as the primary Congress leader to attack Modi at a critical moment like this is because of the measured approach he brings to the table — as opposed to that of Rahul Gandhi.
“Singh’s rhetoric is more piercing because he embodies expertise, experience and a competent record of governance, which can be more persuasively employed to highlight and condemn the governance failures of the BJP, unlike Rahul Gandhi, whose rhetoric appears flippant and shallow because it lacks all those markers of credibility,” said Asim Ali, political analyst and research associate at the Centre for Policy and Research (CPR).
“He (Rahul Gandhi) hasn’t held even a junior-level administrative post in his career,” Ali pointed out.
Congress leaders agree that Singh’s perception as a “man of governance” makes him the right choice to lead this attack.
“He is seen as a leader — particularly on the governance aspect. People know he has great expertise. He changed the economic shape of the country starting with liberalisation in the 90s,” Veerappa Moily, another minister in Manmohan Singh government, told ThePrint.
Moily said Singh gave his ministers “immense liberty”.
“I was one of his colleagues, so I know just the kind of liberty ministers enjoyed in his government. He used to call meetings, he used to consult with everyone,” the senior leader said.
Another reason why the Congress has chosen Singh is to emphasise its governance achievements — Singh is widely credited for uplifting the economy during UPA-1 and ensuring a rapid decline in poverty.
“Because of the scandals of UPA-2, the Congress had, counterproductively, not emphasised enough its remarkable achievements in governance. This new approach signals a shift: an effort to own its governance record and contrast it with the governance failures of the BJP,” Ali said.
Khurshid added that Singh is seen as someone who enjoys great goodwill in the country, and that “should not go to waste”.
“Our reading is that there is still huge respect and goodwill for him in the country, and that should not be allowed to go waste,” the former external affairs minister said.
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A reminder of ‘great’ foreign relations
The Congress also hopes to remind people how “great” India’s relationships with its neighbours were under Singh’s rule.
“His greatest achievement is that under him we saw a peaceful rise of India and China — both countries grew exponentially,” Congress MP and former information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said.
Tewari added that while there were tensions between the two countries, they “did not hurt the economic trajectory of either”.
“In fact, India and China were the only two countries that managed to escape the impact of the 2008 global recession,” he said.
Moily said Singh constantly reiterated that “we have to live peacefully with neighbours”.
“He always maintained an excellent relationship with the neighbours. So, he enjoys respect on the diplomacy and foreign policy fronts too,” Moily said.
BJP’s response to Singh
It’s because of Manmohan Singh’s stature and standing among the people as a man of integrity and erudition that the BJP also prefers to target Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, often seeking to downplay the former PM’s attacks with mild rebuttals.
Modi had once attacked his predecessor over his government’s corruption record with a “bathing with a raincoat on” remark, but he also usually prefers not to join issue with him.
The BJP, however, has called the Congress’ attempts to put Singh at the forefront a “desperate last-ditch attempt”.
BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal told ThePrint: “The persistent attacks by Rahul, Sonia and Priyanka have fallen flat on its face. So, they are now turning towards him (Singh) when he was never given any attention as the PM. This is laughable.”
But for once, Manmohan Singh must be smiling at his party colleagues and ex-snipers indulgently.
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