A year with Manmohan Singh

Dialogue with China and Pakistan was not initiated by him; he is the beneficiary of it. Rajiv Gandhi broke the ice with China in 1988, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee broke new ground with Pakistan. And yet, for all his lack of familiarity with foreign policy issues, Manmohan Singh knows only too well that it is the wider strokes he has to paint.

Though an avowed economic reformer, he has made it a point not to antagonise the Left. He pushes up to a point and then goes into placatory mode, hosting breakfast meetings for Left leaders, smoothening their ruffled feathers. And now he is talking about restoring the interest rate on the Employees Provident Fund to 9.5 per cent which should satisfy the CPI and CPM.

However, it is his role in domestic politics that has been fascinating. Had the government not criticised the US refusal of visa to Narendra Modi, because he is a constitutional authority, it would have given a handle to the BJP to go to town on the issue to whip up Hindu passions. Some party leaders might even have accused the Congress of influencing Condoleezza Rice to refuse Modi a visa. This week Laloo Yadav is upping the ante for the sacking of Modi, which should have been done three years ago. Now, such action will only make him a hero amongst a section of the Hindus, and polarise politics once again, giving a fillup to the BJP and helping Laloo and Mulayam and other third frontwallahs. But it would push the Congress out of the central space it is trying to occupy once again. Modi naturally has tried to capitalise on these incidents, publishing articles and photographs in booklets which he has distributed widely. But then, to praise the PM and attack Sonia Gandhi is part of the BJP8217;s strategy of driving a wedge between the two and UPA leaders should be wary of falling in that trap.

Some criticise Manmohan Singh for 8220;soft Hindutva8221;, though anyone who knows him knows this is far from the truth. He is an acknowledged non-confrontationist, but then the prime minister, whoever he is, has to be a reconciler. Rather like A.K. Antony, who is a minority leader, Manmohan Singh is acutely conscious of the need to stay on the right side of the majority community.

Of course, the PM could have avoided talking to Modi on the telephone, and desisted from prefacing his crimes with the word 8220;alleged8221; during his intervention in Rajya Sabha, which rattled many in the Congress. But on balance, the events favoured the Congress and made Modi that much more of a persona non grata globally. Even the likes of Pravin Togadia, who were expected to attack the US for its decision, were surprisingly silent.

Jharkhand and Goa were both messy. In the way the events unfolded, it was the prime minister who came out of it as Mr Clean and Correct, advising Shibu Soren to resign and not bring the legislature into confrontation with the judiciary. Thanks to mishandling by her managers, the blame was laid at Sonia Gandhi8217;s doorstep. What an irony that a person who declined prime ministership of the country should be held responsible for wanting to instal her man 8212; and Shibu Soren is not even a Congressman 8212; as the chief minister of a state, that too a small one.

Remember, Manmohan Singh has survived in the system for 35 years and he has done so while holding top economic positions under different prime ministers. In 1991 he came to be hailed as the father of economic reforms. In 2004, he emerged as the natural 8212; and possibly the only 8212; choice for prime minister. He has positioned himself in such a way that he is above factions, retains a clean image and poses no threat to Sonia Gandhi. Only someone who understands the complexities of the political process could have managed this.

That he has to keep looking over his shoulder constantly may have robbed some of Manmohan Singh8217;s actions of the force they might have had. He knows that cultivating a high profile in the Congress is an invitation to political wilderness and that diffidence can be an asset.

Sonia Gandhi may not be happy with the government8217;s handling of the Modi affair, the Jharkhand crisis or the defence ministry8217;s affidavit, but there is little doubt that Manmohan Singh remains her best bet.