NEW DELHI: India's workaholic Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not taken a holiday since he took the top job in 2004, according to a new in-depth profile published this week.
The 12,000-word study in current affairs journal The Caravan of 79-year-old Singh, under fire for a series of debilitating scandals in his second-term, said he shunned opportunities to get away and take a break.
Former media adviser Sanjaya Baru said the one-time economics professor had little interest in relaxation, recalling an official day-long visit to the popular tourist destination of Goa.
"I said to him, 'sir, it's a weekend. Why don't we stay Saturday night, spend Sunday morning on the beach and come back Sunday evening. You don't miss a working day'.
"You know what he asked? 'But what do I do there?' Only Manmohan Singh could ask what he could do in Goa," Baru said.
Singh's daughter Daman Singh said she could recall her father taking only one vacation with the family in the last 40 years, a three-day visit to Nainital, a hill station 232 kilometres (144 miles) from New Delhi.
"As children we just assumed that's the way all fathers are. He hasn't changed at all," said the author, who is working on a book about her parents.
The report says Singh, hailed as the architect of India's economic liberalisation, sticks to his old austere habits, shunning fancy restaurants, expensive suits and luxury cars.
Singh's core appeal to voters as a capable and honest administrator in India's venal politics has taken a battering in the last year after a series of major corruption scandals.
While he is not personally implicated in them, he is accused by critics of failing to prevent the so-called 2G scam in which mobile phone licences were sold at rock-bottom prices in 2008.
The former telecom minister in Singh's administration, A. Raja, is awaiting trial on charges of fraud and corruption.
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A very good human being. A very good prime minister and a great finance minister. But still lacks the political leadership or acumen required in murky indian political set up. He could have been a great prime minister but 2nd term as PM left lot to be desired. Nevertheless given the jokers we have have in our political system, he is very good. And this is coming from a Nitish Kumar voter who never voted congress!
@John B: The foreign policy started to change under NDA - not Singh. Exa mples: 1) Vajpayee visited Lahore and started bus diplomacy with Pakistan 2) Under NDA, relations with Israel were normalised 3) The anti-US tilt of the Congress was replaced by a pro-India policy by BJP , by which India was willing to partner with anyone on those issues which beneited India. 4) Vajpayee nstituted the look East policy as a result of wich the ASEAN FTA was signed and relations with Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia etc are much better now.
Twenty years from now, India would thank him.
Besides his economic policy during his tenure as finance minister, he changed India outlook and energized the masses. He brought knew dimension into the age-old established foreign policy approach.
Failing to stop corruption in high offices and still sticking to the post is also a kind of corruption. He is personally a good person but as PM he was expected to deliver good governense, in which he miserably failed and in my opinion, it is time for him to leave gracefully.
he is indeed great man, certainly he is not a great administrator. I have said many times, a person like him need to be academian, than politician. for a job like this, we need someone with great wisdom, extraordinary courage, and a paramount leadership skills.. he got wisdom and lacks rest of the two..greetings from india :)