By Girish Nikam
Five years back when Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh was �hoisted� on the nation by the Congress President Sonia Gandhi after rejecting the demand for herself to occupy the throne, he had made it clear that the �mandate was for Sonia Gandhi, and not for me�. For some this statement was an act of practical humility, while others saw it as a sign of servility. The opposition was quick to conclude that this statement clearly indicated who will hold the key to the Government and that Dr.Singh will only be a puppet.

In fact for the first three years of the UPA Government, the silence of Dr.Singh was deafening. He had addressed just about three press conferences, he was self-effacing and reluctant to claim credit for even some of the important and creditable landmark programmes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, Right to Information, land to the tribals, to name a few. In fact a rather unusual situation had developed as Sonia Gandhi also was reluctant to talk too much about these pioneering efforts, worrying that she may take away the credit from the Prime Minister and the Government.

This �pehle aap� culture between the two top leaders of the nation was obviously a reflection of the personality of the two, which essentially is comfortable not being in the limelight. Dr.Manmohan Singh however can no more duck under the cover of �mandate for Sonia Gandhi�, as the campaign for elections-2009 picks up. This election is not going to be just a mandate for Sonia Gandhi or the Congress. Dr.Singh and his government�s performance is what is under test now.

So we have a situation now when for the first time the Prime Minister Dr.Singh will have to act not just as the leader of a government which was handed over to him, but also a vote catcher for not just the Congress but also for his allies in the UPA. An unfamiliar role alright for a man who has been comfortable being in the background.

All through these past five years of the UPA rule, it was witnessed that during all the campaigns for the various State Assembly elections, Dr.Singh tended to be a reluctant campaigner. In fact Congressmen and the party was also quite happy using him sparingly, and whenever they did use him, it was more as an auditorium speaker, where select audience were invited.

Can the Congress or he himself afford to be confined to auditorium events in the next two months, as the campaign picks up momentum? More importantly is there a need for him to be confined to the auditoriums?

This election, one has to understand, has already become almost Presidential in nature. With the contracting NDA projecting L.K.Advani as its Prime Ministerial candidate, and Sonia also declaring that Dr.Singh is the undisputed Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress as well as the UPA, it is now imperative for the sitting Prime Minister to be seen as an active campaigner.

Though Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul are certainly going to be the most sought-after campaigners by the Congressmen and even the allies, the onus is as much on Dr.Singh to present the case of his government and its performance before the people, and forcefully at that.

The fact is that Congressmen who had also seen him as too mild and soft in his manners apart from being seen as apolitical and therefore not an attractive election campaigner, have however had a change of heart after the way he had showed his political dexterity in pushing through the nuclear deal. The firmness he displayed in checkmating the left parties and going ahead with the deal by getting the support of the Samajawadi Party and also saving his government was a pleasant surprise to his own party men. Despite the controversy surrounding the trust vote, the Congressmen as well as the UPA allies started admiring him, some grudgingly though, and he grew in stature as a politician before their eyes.

As far as his image among the people is concerned, it has only grown in the last five years, despite the best attempts by the opposition to paint him as the �weakest� Prime Minister ever. Even his party�s detractors accept that he has brought dignity and grace to the chair he occupies and more significantly the way in which he has conducted himself with Sonia Gandhi, who was expected to be his puppeteer, has also evoked admiration.

Dr.Singh has also shown us a glimpse of his aggressive nature, when on more than one occasion he took on Advani on the floor of the house with pungent remarks.

It is no secret in the top echelons of the Congress as well as the UPA that he has always stood firm when it came to issues which he espoused. There have been instances when even Sonia Gandhi had to back out after knowing that Dr.Singh is not in tune with her thinking. Example is the way in which he stood firm on the nuclear deal.

With the newly-revived third front now coming down on his government�s policies, the Prime Minister has no option left but to come out and defend it strongly, and convince the people about it. It is now as much his responsibility as that of the Congress President to bring the Congress-led UPA back to power.

The next two months might as well witness the emergence of Manmohan Singh, the politician-campaigner. In fact it is imperative for the Congress and the UPA that he does it to counter the �weakest� Prime Minister tag. If he continues to display his famous reticence, he will have no one but himself to blame, and all that admiration he has enjoyed especially among his party men will dissipate soon. Never before in his long and eventful career as a bureaucrat-economist-politician has he faced such a challenge. Will he rise upto it?