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Manmohan Singh has often been the target of criticism by the opposition, and caricatured as a weak Prime Minister who waits for the orders of Sonia Gandhi for taking decisions of national importance. There has also been considerable criticism of Manmohan Singh for his inability to curb double digit inflation that has crippled the Indian middle class during his second tenure.

2010 saw some of the biggest scams that have hit India including the 2G scam and Commonwealth Games scam. While Manmohan Singh has been personally seen as an honest, well meaning man, he was heavily criticized for failing to act against errant ministers in time.

The 2G spectrum scam has resulted in allegations of inaction against Singh. He has been criticized for not acting to prevent the Exchequer's estimated loss of 1.76 trillion rupees. A Supreme Court bench, acting on a petition by Subramanian Swamy, asked Singh to file an affidavit explaining his inaction for 16 months over private complaints made by Swamy in a letter to the Prime Minister. On November 20, 2010, Singh filed an affidavit claiming there was no negligent inaction on his part and that he could not have acted without examining all of the evidence gathered by the CBI.

A. Raja, the Telecommunications Minister in Singh's cabinet who resigned over the scandal, has maintained that the Cabinet was aware of his decisions on the 2G spectrum allocation. Speaking in May 2010, Singh appeared to defend Raja, stating that the Telecom Minister's actions simply implemented a policy already in place. However, a report filed by the Indian government's Comptroller and Auditor General indicates that Raja ignored the advice of the Prime Minister regarding the allocation of 2G spectrum licenses.

His party, the Indian National Congress, was criticized by the Supreme Court for appointing P.J. Thomas as the CVC chief, while there was an ongoing corruption enquiry against the same individual in the Palmolein Oil Import Scam. Manmohan Singh has come in for severe criticism for remaining silent on the matter.