World Markets Simplified

Time Magazine did the unthinkable on Sunday. It called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 'The Underachiever', flaying him and his government, the UPA-II for failing to act at a time when India's growth was slowing down.

Questioning Singh and the UPA's policies, Time said the PM, appointed so by Congress President Sonia Gandhi despite never having won an election, was "a man in shadow".

Criticising the PM for his "unwillingness to carry out reforms", the magazine said that the PM "wasted the past three years". It also questioned his ability to manage the Finance portfolio following Pranab Mukherjee's exit.

Interestingly, in a previous article in March this year, the magazine had a cover story on Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, and while it lauded him for his development work across the state, the article questioned his Prime Minsiterial ambitions.

Meanwhile, criticising the UPA, the magazine said, "The laws that could help create growth and jobs are stuck in Parliament, sparking concerns that politicians have lost the plot in their focus on short-term populist measures that will win votes."