New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "failure" to be assertive against corruption led to his government's undoing and "rise" of Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, according to his former media advisor Sanjaya Baru.

He, however, said, "If he had got serious about tackling corruption, the government would have fallen. There was a lot at stake with allies like the DMK and Sharad Pawar."