This is how Manmohan Singh brought back the lost ground of Congress, became a trouble-shooter on these three fronts

New Delhi: Whenever former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was talked about, there was more talk about his/her economic liberalization as Finance Minister or the decisions taken as PM. his/her contribution as a politician was underestimated. It was said that Manmohan Singh is the CEO of the government, but contrary to general opinion, Manmohan Singh was considered to have made a major contribution to the emergence of Congress. The party can never forget his/her contributions especially on three fronts:

1. Pulled the middle class

In the 90s, the position of Congress continued to weaken. Under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP took the lead especially among urban and middle class voters. Congress’s support base among them continued to decline. When Manmohan Singh became PM after an unexpected victory in 2004, he/she quietly regained Congress’s support base among these sections. The contribution of this section was considered to be behind the second consecutive victory of Congress in 2009. Election data proved that in 2009, Congress got the highest number of urban and middle class votes in recent years. he/she emerged as a hero of the middle class. However, the irony was that at the end of his/her second term, the same section once again became angry with the Congress and due to the resentment of this section, UPA-2 had to face defeat and till date the Congress cannot regain that vote.

2. Reconnect with the Sikh population

After the 1984 riots, Congress’s political relations with the Sikhs were on the decline. Questions were raised on the role of Congress in the riots. Among them, Manmohan Singh became the Sikh face of the party. It was believed that after becoming the first Sikh PM in 2004, somewhere the anger and resentment ended and in subsequent years Congress got their votes again. he/she had great respect among the Sikh community. his/her apology for the 1984 riots on the floor of Parliament on 11 August 2005 was described as a very courageous and big-hearted step. This had a big impact. Congress again gained power in Punjab also.

3. Was also a trouble maker

There was very little discussion about even one of his/her contributions. he/she often played the role of troubleshooter for the party. Whenever there were reports of rift with the party or allies, Sonia Gandhi would rely on either Ahmed Patel or Manmohan Singh to find a solution. he/she was successful on many occasions in reducing resentment due to his/her polite behavior.