New Delhi, July 17: Hailed abroad not too long ago as statesman and economic guru, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is at the receiving end of increasing harsh comment with British daily, The Independent, critiquing his tenure under a disparaging headline "Manmohan Singh - India's saviour or Sonia's poodle?"
The report, although less widely circulated than several others in the UK, is the latest foreign publication to question Singh's legacy and his capacity to regain control of a coalition reeling under corruption scams, an unresponsive bureaucracy, bullying allies and a freeze in reforms.
More damningly, The Independent refers to an unequal sharing of power between Singh and Sonia, saying "Observers say one of Singh's problems is that he has no genuine political power. Rather, he owes his position to Sonia Gandhi...This has meant he has sometimes been unable to even control his cabinet and his failure to more quickly address actions of coalition minister, accused of defrauding the country up to $40 billion in a telecom licence scam, led him to being accused of further weakness."
The report says Singh's reforming zeal has evaporated and slowed the country's growth while political opponents are attacking him for overseeing an administration mired in corruption and sloth. Reference points include the 5.3% growth shock of the first quarter and downgrades by rating agencies among other indicators of a slowing economy.
Reacting to the report in the British daily, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "It is unfortunate that some people misuse editorial licence. While criticism is to be taken in one's stride; what needs to be kept in mind is that criticism should not cross boundaries of decency and start bordering on the offensive and I do hope that people who are entrusted with the responsibility of handing of editorial content would definitely keep this submission in mind."
However, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad saw the report as a validation of his party's criticism of the PM. "The non-performance of the Manmohan Singh government has been known for long. Now well-known journals on whose certificates the PM and Congress used to bank on are saying the same thing. The important question remains on how Sonia Gandhi can escape responsibility as she is the source of the PM's political authority."
Like in a cover story in Time magazine recently, The Independent report suggests that time is fast running out for Singh if he wants to retrieve his legacy as the reformer who released India from the shackles of the socialist dogma with a path-breaking Budget in 1991 after the P V Narasimha Rao government took office.
Taken together, the spate of adverse reports in international publications represent a souring of mood on the man, who was not so long ago hailed as the author of India's success story and savant of global economy.
The Time cover with its sharp headline "Underachiever" had noted that the PM needs to emerge from his personal and political gloom if he is to retrieve the stalling India story. The report quoted political analysts to say Singh might yet pull off a recovery, but needed to shed his government's reluctance to move forward on reforms.
Prior to the Time cover, The Economist had referred to the PM as a "lame duck" in a report on his meeting with Pakistani president Asif Zardari. In another report, it noted that "Singh may not be remembered as the man who reformed India's economy, but the man who only got the job half done." The tone of other publications like the Financial Times has also become more questioning, wondering if Singh can actually quell disquiet over India's economic growth.
Both the leaders have been attacking the party leadership over its pro-CAA stand.
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