From challenging the Left on August 11 to philosophically declaring two months later that “one has to live with disappointments,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears to have realised that his attempts to turn himself into an assertive political manager have not succeeded and he feels somewhat let down.

A little over a week ago, sources said, the Prime Minister, who had undergone a prostate surgery recently, even contemplated cancelling his trip to Johannesburg for the Second IBSA Summit — he has reached Nigeria from where he will head to South Africa. The sources said it was felt that a wrong message would go out if the trip was called off. While this view did prevail, the fact remains that uncertainty has crept into the agenda. With the nuclear deal frozen due to domestic politics, there may be little weight in what Singh may try to tell Brazil and South Africa.

As per earlier plans, the PM was to make a pitch for India’s case for “unconditional exemption”, which meant no reference to testing or any other rider that may raise questions on India’s nuclear independence. But sources said that these countries, while remaining positive in their outlook, may not provide definitive answers, knowing well the hurdles the government faces at home.The only source of Manmohan Singh’s authority has been Sonia Gandhi’s absolute and continuous support. His role, however, was subtly defined — run the government, Sonia will manage the alliance. The first time this was breached was when the Prime Minister dared the Left to withdraw support if they wanted to.

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