Time: Manmohan appears "unwilling to stick his neck out on reform" at a time when the Indian economy is slowing.

Why in.com agrees: For the last two years, Manmohan has known that the economy was going from bad to worse, but he did nothing.

Time: Manmohan "seems unable to control his ministers".

Why in.com agrees: PM's lack of authority over various ministers has doggged the UPA since Manmohan Singh's first term (the 2G scam and the other scams that followed were the by-products of it). He continued to be the 'clean, honest politician' who remained silent as his colleagues plundered the exchequer.

Time: The report titled 'A Man in Shadow' asks 'Is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh up to the job?'

Why in.com agrees: Aptly put. Only Sonia Gandhi has the power to act. Manmohan Singh has lived up to his reputation of being the second-in-command to Madam-ji. The kind of decisions being dictated by the Gandhi-led National Advisory Council are a testimony to the fact.

Time: 'For the past two years, the Congress-led coalition has found itself fending off scandals, most notably the corrupt awarding of 2G spectrum'.

Why in.com agrees: His own reputation notwithstanding, Manmohan is seen as the head of one of the most corrupt governments ever. Coalition Dharma was his ready reply to every question posed to him in the aftermath of the scams. But does the so-called Coalition Dharma make the powers-that-be so weak that they can't even stand up to corrupt allies?

Time: 'India is stalling. To turn it around, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must emerge from his private and political gloom'.

Why in.com agrees: Now that Pranab Mukherjee is out of the way, we expect our PM will play a more direct role in the finance ministry though one rider remains - hopefully Sonia will allow him to have a free hand!