Months before stepping down as prime minister in 2014, Manmohan Singh famously asserted that his leadership would be judged more favourably by history than by the media at the time.
In January 2014, during one of his last media interactions, Singh addressed a press conference in which he rejected claims of being a “weak” leader.
“I do not believe that I have been a weak Prime Minister…I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter the Opposition in Parliament…Given the political compulsions, I have done the best I could do,” he said.
“…I have done as well as I could do according to the circumstances…It is for history to judge what I have done or what I have not done,” added Singh, who had served as prime minister for a decade until Narendra Modi took office on May 26, 2014.
Singh’s comments came in response to criticism that his leadership lacked decisiveness. He also took the opportunity to criticise BJP’s then prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, referencing the 2002 Gujarat riots that took place while Modi was the state’s chief minister.
“If you measure the strength of Prime Minister by presiding over mass massacre of innocent citizens on streets of Ahmedabad, then I do not believe in it…I do not think that this kind of strength this country needs least from its Prime Minister,” Singh said.
He also expressed confidence that the next prime minister would be from the UPA, adding, “It will be disastrous for the country to have Narendra Modi as Prime Minister…I sincerely believe what Narendra Modi is saying is not going to materialise.”
Singh defended his two terms in office, claiming they demonstrated the Congress party’s ability to lead a coalition government. While acknowledging compromises were made during this time, he insisted they were on “peripheral issues and not on national problems.”
“Nobody has asked me to step down because of any inadequacy that characterised my tenure as prime minister,” Singh said when asked about the negative perceptions within Congress regarding his leadership.