NewDelhi: As the political scenario of India was lived on December 26, 2024, again when the talks of the deal were back on the air about the 2004 congressional decision sponsored by Sonia Gandhi were again unveiled. This central issue in Indian politics has been revived as a result of the disclosure of former Congress leader Natwar Singh, who shared that Rahul Gandhi primarily convinced his mother to refuse the position.
It was in 2004, when the Congress party got the Lok Sabha elections number one unbelievably, and Sonia Gandhi was about to become Prime Minister. However, she dropped the deciding bomb in a crowded party meeting, saying that her ordinary conscience dictated the decision to turn down this role. This totally unexpected choice not only made a big disappointment inside the Congress party but also gave a railcar to Manmohan Singh for being the new Prime Minister.
Critics, on the other hand, raised questions with respect to Sonia’s foreign origin and its possible ramifications for her leadership. Even though being assigned the title of Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh’s tenure was often viewed by the people as being largely influenced by Sonia. A lot of people speculated that even though Singh was entitled to the responsibility, the power remained with Sonia, thus having a lack of trust in the governance.
During the period of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2014, the coordination between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh remained warm, which prevented any direct clashes. Noteworthy is the fact that both of them handled it pretty well when, even if Rahul Gandhi publicly tore a controversial ordinance during a press conference, both leaders passed any potential discord without much fallout.
At the same time, Singh’s advance to the prime minister post was met with different reactions by the party members who were eyeing the same target for themselves. With the objective of crushing any rift in the party and between coalition partners, the National Advisory Council (NAC) was instituted for the very first time, which guided government policies and foremost preserved Sonia’s power.
Sonia and Singh’s bond was put on the spot regularly. For the case in hand, it was 2006 when Singh faced the brunt of the flak he got for not adhering to the NAC’s recommendation to lower the fuel price. Meanwhile, while discussing the Indo-US nuclear deal, Singh’s leftist allies blasted him so much for an agreement that they were opposed to it all. In spite of these hurdles, leaders of both sides always made it categorically and tactfully clear that they were not going to have public wars.
In the few cases where they could not agree, be it the adoption of cornerstone policies like the Food Security Bill and MGNREGA, it was often Sonia’s persuasiveness that tilted Singh towards embracing consensus-building initiatives.
After the Congress dealt with the 2014 elections, many of the top leaders began to play footsie with the party, creating so much distance from the Congress that there was a question over the Singh’s role in terms of party build-up. Ironically, even with all this push and pull, he remains an unwavering supporter of the Gandhi dynasty, apart from being interrogated not only by agencies such as the CBI but also criticised because of the administration’s performance.
In the time gone by, Singh has not ceased to express his opinions on critical national issues through writing articles or saying them in public, therefore keeping himself in the political arena of the country.
The repudiation of the prime ministership was one of the highlight moments of Indian politics, and it is the case now as it was then. This particular point in history not only made her rule as a leader who sacrificed their intentions and favoured the politics’ stability but also planted the figure Manmohan Singh significantly during the governance in the course of the transformation of India. The moments of their joined dynamics in power will be continually remembered as Indian journalists and critics think out about the measure of their influence on such matters over the last two decades.
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