Manmohan Singh

Look at Singh's premiership through the rural employment guarantee enacted in 2005, rather than crediting it with reforms he made earlier as finance minister. His coalition turned a demand for livelihood security into a legal entitlement, with implementation shared across India's states. Campaigners, Sonia Gandhi and fellow ministers were important participants. The revealing question is how a reserved leader helped sustain that agreement, while corruption scandals and weaknesses in delivery limited the government's wider record.