THE Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has further lowered his stature by letting petty politics overshadow his unfulfilled obligations. While doing so the other day, he frittered away an opportunity to make amends and redeem his reputation.

One need not discuss here Dr. Singh's vitriolic attack on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at his stage-managed national press conference where many core issues did not figure at all.

A lot has already been said and written about Dr. Singh's remarks against Mr. Modi. The final say should now be left to the electorate. Let the voters decide whether Mr. Modi would be a nation builder as PM or a degrader of national unity like Dr. Singh.

PM has indeed allowed fissiparous forces weaken the country. He needs to be judged by his own words and actions on this charge.