Manmohan Singh wants to preserve his legacy

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's press meet has proved one thing. The mild mannered PM is worried about his legacy. He firmly believes that he has done something good for the country and he does not want to go down in the history as a failure.

The much ridiculed Manmohan Singh tried to put up a brave face in his 75 minute long media interaction. He tried his best to convince the media that he is neither weak, nor indecisive.

The Prime Minister, who is admired by international media and the leaders, had the difficult task of defending his almost a decade-long rule before the domestic media on Indian soil. The PM seemed to have gone to the media interaction expecting some harsh questions on his legacy.

He gave enough hints that he wants to preserve his legacy before saying goodbye to the Prime Minister's chair.

When journalists asked him about his inaction and ineffectiveness Dr. Singh said, "Hope when history is written, it will be kinder to me than contemporary media."

He also dismissed the charges that he is in office, not in power. Refuting the charges that he is being controlled by Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, the 81-year-old PM said, "I got enormous support from Mrs. Sonia Gandhi in dealing with complex issues. Not a drawback when party leadership makes corrections in national interest."

When the media questioned him over the alleged non-performance of the UPA government, a slightly upset PM retorted that the opposition has vested interests and sometimes the media also plays into the hands of opposition.

Strongly condemning the allegations like he is being treated by the Congress like a daily wager, he said, "Nobody in party asked me to step down during my tenure."

There were at least a dozen questions over his legacy. Some of them were direct and some were indirect. Some of them were even blunt. To each question, he replied in his usual style. He refused to be provoked.

When a journalist asked him if he is an overrated economist and underrated politician, he said, "I have done my best. People doubted our ability to run a coalition government. We may have compromised sometime. But, we have done well."

The PM who is not known for creating controversies or launching an attack on others was very cautious when he replied to questions on his legacy.

Manmohan Singh, who openly claims that his only asset is his personal integrity, did not forget to tell the media that nobody from his family or no people close to him benefitted during his regime. He said, "I have tried to serve this country with utmost dedication; I have not used my office to reward my friends or relatives. I am the same person as I was 9 years ago, there has been no change."

Even during his initial remarks PM did not forget to remember his humble background. He said, "I have been one of the beneficiaries of generous scholarships. I could study well because of scholarships."

The PM who always stayed away from corruption 'taint' maintained that he never did anything wrong and he would be remembered by our future generations.

The Prime Minister's vehement defence of his legacy attracted much criticism. But some even sympathised with the Prime Minister who is being forced to defend his legacy a few months before he walks into the sunset.

Senior journalist Nalini Singh said, "He will be remembered as the PM who came and left." Disagreeing with her, another veteran journalist Neerja Chowdhury said, "His greatest asset is his integrity. He is an honest man. He never made anything for himself. Sadly, he proved that honesty means nothing in today's politics."

As Manmohan Singh says history may finally judge him kindly. His expressions show that he does not want to be remembered as a tragic figure. He wants to be remembered as an honest leader, who did something for the country.

Hopefully, history and the future generations will be kind to him.