There was a little bit of Manmohan Singh at the Jantar Mantar youth protests that brought down a Union minister last month. It was undoubtedly the most significant challenge the BJP-led government has faced in years. The former Prime Minister was there in the repeated chants of “bure din waapis do”, a taunt at Narendra Modi’s much-vaunted promises of “achhe din”.
He was there in the reception that the protesting youngsters were met with, a complete contrast from his own pleas of leniency toward the JNU students that had shown him black flags in 2005. And he was there in placards tartly announcing the date on which an Indian PM last stood in front of the press and took questions, i.e. 3 January 2014, toted by someone who would have been a child then. Watching that press conference today is an exercise in realising how far India’s political culture has shifted. Singh is calm and composed, though maybe a little heartbroken as he answered, by one account, at least 62 unscripted questions from 100 journalists. He acknowledges with grace the failures of his government, while simultaneously praising the power of Indian democracy and the robustness of its institutions that allowed the people to elect a different leader.
