In one of my earlier comments here I mentioned that Manmohan Singh is the weakest PM our country ever had. To this, one of the friends in the forum has taken strong objections on the grounds that because he is a strong PM only our economy has grown leaps and bounds under him. Perhaps my friend is mixing up the strength of the economy with the strength of the PM. Manmohan Singh is an economist and he did wonders as a Finance Minister, because a strong PM (Narasimha Rao) backed him up to the hilt. Thus, Manmohan was a very successful Finance Minister. But, to be a PM it is not enough if you are an economist, but you have to be politically savvy. This is where Manmohan Singh has totally failed as a PM and that is why he is the weakest PM the country ever had. In fact, every Indian PM pales before Narasimha Rao, who was politically savvy and had the courage of conviction. But even as an economist, Manmohan Singh failed as a PM. Take the case of oil prices. He took the call only when the Oil companies were driven to the brink. A strong PM would not have allowed this to happen. Take another example. Last year, at the height of nuclear deal controversy, he took on the Communists and dared them to withdraw support. But, the moment the political heat was on the `roaring lion' became a `purring kitten'. I repeat again. Our PM's personal integrity is never in question but as a `political' PM he is the weakest the country ever had.
