NEW DELHI: In one of his last press conferences as Prime Minister back in January 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday, gave a fitting response to to growing criticism about his leadership and remarked that ‘history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media.’
The press conference featured questions about the Congress veteran’s leadership, which some called weak and indecisive. Singh faced these questions amid Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign to portray their PM candidate Narendra Modi as a strong leader.
Singh defended his record, saying, “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 added, “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.”
Singh’s term ended when Narendra Modi became PM in May 2014.
Criticising Modi and the 2002 Gujarat riots, Singh had said, “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. I sincerely believe what Narendra Modi is saying is not going to materialise,” he stated.
He also highlighted the Congress party’s success in managing coalition governments during his two terms, saying compromises were made on ‘peripheral issues and not on national problems.’ When asked about internal criticism within the Congress, Singh responded, “Nobody has asked me to step down because of any inadequacy that characterised my tenure as prime minister.”
Watch full press conference:
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