Manmohan Singh, the mild mannered economist who rose in political stature displaying pluck during the political crisis over the nuclear deal and successfully staked his government, faces tougher challenges ahead on the economic and security front.
Seventy-six-year-old Singh, a reluctant politician who faced charges of being a "weak" prime minister and a "puppet" of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, began his second innings on Friday on a strengthened mandate with the masses reaffirming their trust in his abilities and plumping for his image as a leader of undoubted integrity.
Economy, still reeling under the impact of global downturn, and perilous security issues in the aftermath of the unprecedented terror attack in Mumbai last year will be high on the agenda of the architect of the country's economic reforms who has survived in the hurly-burly of politics.
Widely regarded as one of the cleanest persons in public life, the soft-spoken father of three daughters has the distinction of being the only other leader after the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to be premier for a second straight term after serving a full first term.
The former RBI Governor, who had also served as Finance Secretary, had once said that it was not the end of the world if the nuclear deal with the US did not go through. So strong was his conviction in the landmark deal that he put his government at stake after the Left parties withdrew support.
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