"He mostly conceded limits to his authority in shaping domestic policy, given that his council of ministers had loyalties to other centres of political power. But he jealously guarded the foreign policy turf and ensured his writ would run at least in this sphere."
Manmohan Singh "retained his influence over economic policy through Chidambaram and Montek. But foreign affairs was his sole preserve and he made sure it stayed that way in UPA-1. It was the area where he could articulate his vision for India in a changing world, and project his personality, without coming into conflict with the priorities and the profile of the Congress president," Baru wrote.
Baru said an attempt by him to give the prime minister credit for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme, which had been brought out by the Prime Minister's Office, was not liked by the Congress high command. The party was projecting it as an achievment of Rahul Gandhi and Baru's SMS to an editor "half in jest" that it was the PM's birthday gift to the nation fetched him an admonition from the prime minister.
"Let them take all the credit. I don't need it. I am only doing my work. You just write my speeches for me. I do not want any media projection," Manmohan Singh said, according to the book.
Baru said, "Dr Singh had a powerful story to tell about his achievements as prime minister, but he invariably shied away from telling it. He held me back when I sought to project him during my time as his media adviser, saying, ‘I want my work to speak for me.' Perhaps Dr Singh was nervous about projecting himself because he thought that was the undoing of P.V. Narasimha Rao".
Manmohan Sigh consciously strove not to project himself. "His problem always was that he did not want to become more popular with the media and the general public than Sonia. Whenever a TV channel or newsmagazine conducted an opinion poll and showed that his popularity, while rising, was a few notches below that of Sonia, he would feel relieved. ‘Good,' he would say, with a mischievous smile. That defined the limit to his projection and brand-building," Baru felt.
Baru says that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose decade-old tenure at the country's helm ends next month, has shown the country "that an ordinary, honest Indian, an aam aadmi, to use the current buzzword in politics, could become prime minister through sheer hard work and professional commitment."
