The Time magazine first dubbed Manmohan Singh an “underachiever”. Now a Washington Post article has criticized him as a ‘silent’ Prime Minister who has become ‘a tragic figure’.

I don’t know why the PMO should be so sensitive and reactive to the critical article in Washington Post. Has the PMO also reacted in the same way when Manmohan was praised profusely without any rhyme and reason?

Instead of reacting to the criticism, PMO would have focused on many things that it can do to improve the image of the PM if he is so great.

Recently an article in Indian magazine has written so rightly about his profile over the years: “In 2004, Manmohan Singh was an accident; in 2009, he was inevitability, as 2014 looms, he is a liability.” Many doubt about his actual capability.

Indians never expected Manmohan to be politically great, but certainly expected that he would contribute to improve the administrative machinery. Even though most of his cabinet ministers kept on working to be noticed more by Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan would have grouped together at least those who were honest workers and overseen the performance of some of the programme and got the outcome. Manmohan didn’t only speak out and remain silent but he didn’t do anything worth a Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, Manmohan kept on flying out and in perhaps to become a global figure with no success. Manmohan wrongly concluded the noticing by other statesmen of the world as one for his individual greatness though that was for the greatness of the phenomena that was happening in India inspite of him and his government.

Manmohan certainly contributed personally in getting the Nuclear Deal with US. But his timing was as wrong as when later on, he decided to allot coal blocks for improving the GDP.

Manmohan would have instead focused on two of the infrastructures, power and highways, the sure ways to improve GDP and employment. He would have worked on changing the systems in PDS to eliminate its leaks. He would have done something to bridge the gap between the price of the agricultural produce that the farmer get and the consumers pay. Manmohan would have seen that Sibal kept his promise of Aakash for the millions of the students.

Why should Manmohan feel bad if a free press criticizes him?