LIVE | India bids farewell to Manmohan Singh; Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt
Considered the architect of India's economic reforms, Singh served as the prime minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, was laid to rest with full state honours at Delhi's Nighambodh Ghat on Saturday (December 28).
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were prominent among those who paid last respects to the departed leader before his last rites.
The procession carrying Singh's mortal remains reached the crematorium at around 11.30 pm.
Later, Rahul attacked the Narendra Modi government for "insulting" Manmohan Singh over the venue for his last rites.
"The great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat. He was the Prime Minister of India for a decade, during his tenure the country became an economic superpower and his policies are still the support of the poor and backward classes of the country," Rahul wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account in Hindi.
"Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorized burial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr. Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community," he added.
Earlier, the final journey of Singh began from the AICC headquarters on Saturday morning after Congress leaders paid homage to their departed leader.
The flower-bedecked vehicle carrying the mortal remains of Singh left the Congress headquarters in a procession amid chants of "Manmohan Singh amar rahe".
A large number of Congress workers and leaders along with hundreds of Singh's well-wishers walked along as "Jab tak suraj chand rahega, tab tak tera naam rahega" slogans rent the air.
Former Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also accompanied the procession alongside Singh's relatives.
Singh's mortal remains were taken to the AICC headquarters from his residence on 3, Motilal Nehru Road a little before 9 AM.
The mortal remains were kept there for about an hour, with several top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, paying their last respects, among others.
Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and one of their daughters also laid a wreath on his body and paid their last respects.
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences due to age-related medical complications. He was 92.
Considered the architect of India's economic reforms, Singh served as the prime minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014.
A seven-day national mourning is being observed throughout the country as a mark of respect to the former prime minister during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the nation, the Union Home Ministry has announced.
Also read: Three decades of economic reforms with Manmohan Singh's Liberalisation
Also read: Manmohan Singh obit: Father of liberalisation, MGNREGA, and Aadhaar
Also read: Go well, Dr Manmohan Singh; not just history but the present is kinder to you
Live Updates
- 27 Dec 2024 7:41 AM IST
When Manmohan Singh had come out sharply against PM Modi during 2024 Lok Sabha polls
His flailing and delicate health notwithstanding, the politician in former prime minister Manmohan Singh came out sharply during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when he accused his successor Narendra Modi of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the office of the prime minister by giving "hateful speeches" during the poll campaign.
In an appeal to voters of Punjab ahead of the seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls on June 1, Singh had asserted that only the Congress can ensure growth-oriented progressive future where democracy and Constitution will be safeguarded.
The senior Congress leader had also hit out at the BJP government for imposing an "ill-conceived" Agnipath scheme of the Armed Forces, which he termed as a threat to national security.
"The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery and service is only four years. This shows their fake nationalism," he had said in what is considered as his last letter to voters of Punjab.
The Congress had released Singh's letter to the media on May 30 in the peak of electioneering that was written ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.
Singh had said those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime.
"The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer scheme endangers national security. Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer scheme," he had said.
Mounting an attack on Modi, Singh had said, "I have been keenly following the political discourse during this election campaign. Modi ji has indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. Modi ji is the first prime minister to lower the dignity of public discourse, and thereby the gravity of the office of the prime minister.
"No prime minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific section of the society or the opposition. He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP," the former prime minister had said.
"People of India are seeing through all of this. This narrative of dehumanization has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord," Singh had said.
He had appealed to the voters to give love, peace, fraternity and harmony a chance in India and urged the Punjab voters to vote for development and inclusive progress.
"I appeal to all the young minds to exercise caution and vote for a brighter future. Only Congress can ensure a growth-oriented progressive future, where democracy and the Constitution shall be safeguarded," Singh had said.
Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the first right on the country's resources.
Singh had said people of India are seeing through all of this.
"This narrative of dehumanisation has now reached its peak. It is now our duty to save our beloved nation from these forces of discord," he had said in the letter.
The former prime minister had noted that India is standing at a crucial juncture and in the last phase of voting, "we have one final chance to ensure that democracy and our Constitution is protected from the repeated assaults of a despotic regime, trying to unleash dictatorship in India." Lauding Punjabis as warriors, he had said they are known for their spirit of sacrifice and indomitable courage and innate belief in the democratic ethos of inclusiveness, harmony, amity and brotherhood can protect our great nation.
"In the past ten years, the BJP government has left no stone unturned in castigating Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiyat. 750 farmers, mostly belonging to Punjab, were martyred while incessantly waiting at Delhi borders, for months together.
"As if the lathis and the rubber bullets were not enough, none less than the Prime Minister verbally assaulted our farmers by calling them 'Andolanjeevis' and 'Parjeevi' (Parasites) on the floor of the Parliament. Their only demand was the withdrawal of the three farm laws imposed on them without consulting them," he had said.
"Unprecedented unemployment and unbridled inflation have greatly widened inequality, which is now at a 100-year high. While the Congress-UPA, despite challenges, increased the purchasing power of our people, the misrule of the BJP Government has resulted in depletion of household savings to a historic 47-year low," he had added. PTI
- 27 Dec 2024 7:34 AM IST
Sukhbir Badal recalls close personal relation his father and Manmohan Singh shared
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday recalled the close personal relationship and constructive political equation former prime minister Manmohan Singh shared with Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal.
Sukhbir Badal, a former deputy chief minister of Punjab, said that Singh, a democrat to the core, transcended the political party to which he belonged and ensured that the office of the prime minister remained above and beyond partisan politics.
"With the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh, an era of statesmanship and civilised values in public life sadly comes to a close. Dr Sahib combined simplicity in personal life with decency, civility and uprightness in politics," Sukhbir Badal said.
"I recall the close personal relationship and constructive political equation which Dr Singh shared with my father and Akali stalwart, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal," he posted on X.
"It was a tribute to Dr Singh's approach to the problems facing our country that he remained committed as Prime Minister to India's religious, cultural, linguistic and regional diversity and regarded the federal structure as the core and defining feature of our constitution and our national polity," Badal wrote.
He added that Singh regarded the safeguarding of the sentiments and interests of the minorities as crucial to strengthening the unity and integrity of the country. "He firmly opposed any governmental interference in their religious affairs," Badal said.
"He respected the autonomy in the functioning of the religious institutions of the minorities and firmly opposed governmental interference in the SGPC as he considered such interference as dangerous for the future of the country's strong federal structure and democratic values," he said.
Former Union minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the passing away of Singh is an irreparable loss to the value-based politics in the country.
"Till his very last breath, Dr Sahib remained completely untouched by the falling standards in India's public life. He remained quietly but firmly committed to the democratic values and the federal structure of our country, with an uncompromising stand against any govt interference in the religious affairs of the minorities," Harsimrat, who is also Sukhbir Badal's wife, posted on X.
She said the ex-PM's life was an ode to unimpeachable personal honesty and uprightness. PTI
- 27 Dec 2024 7:27 AM IST
When Manmohan turned nostalgic after visiting Panjab University's Economics dept in 2018
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had turned nostalgic after visiting Panjab University's department of Economics in Chandigarh over six years ago, recalling his journey there as a student and later as a senior lecturer.
After delivering the first S B Rangnekar memorial lecture on 'The Seventieth Anniversary of our Independence -- Strengthening the roots of our Democracy', Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur in April 2018 visited the Economics department. He also interacted with students and faculty members there.
Singh had then recalled his association with the PU and Rangnekar, who was one of the founders of the economics department.
"I had the privilege of working in the department with Dr Rangnekar as its head. Dr Rangnekar and his wife treated me and my wife as a member of their family. That was the happiest period of my life and I recall it with gratitude to Dr. Rangnekars," Singh had then said referring to his days in PU.
The ex-PM and his wife also once owned a house in Chandigarh's upscale Sector 11.
On Thursday, Vice Chancellor Prof Renu Vig said, "We are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed alumnus and former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh." "His legacy as an academic, economist and leader will forever remain etched in the history of Panjab University and our nation," Vig, the varsity's first woman vice chancellor, said.
She said Singh's visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the nation have left an indelible mark on India's progress. His contributions to academia and public service remain a source of immense pride for Panjab University, she said.
"We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace," Vig said.
According to a Panjab University (PU) statement, Singh's journey there was marked by excellence and dedication. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Economics (1952) and Master's degree in Economics (1954), standing first in his class.
About his faculty contributions, the university said he was a Senior Lecturer (1957-1959), Reader in Economics (1959-1963) and Professor of Economics (1963-1965).
Among the honours and recognitions, Singh received an Honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) on March 12, 1983, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) on March 11, 2009.
He delivered the inaugural Prof S B Rangnekar Memorial Oration (2018).
The former prime minister donated a large number of books from his personal collection to the Guru Teg Bahadur Bhavan Library at PU.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92. He was India's prime minister as the head of the Congress-led UPA government for two terms from 2004 to 2014. PTI
- 27 Dec 2024 7:25 AM IST
Left parties condole Manmohan Singh's death
Left parties on Thursday night condoled the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calling him a leader with strong commitment to secularism.
"We express our sorrow at the death of Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. He was a leader with a strong commitment to secularism, democracy and the pluralist ethos of India," Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X.
"We express our deep condolences to his wife Smt. Gursharan Kaur, his daughters and family," the Left party said.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya recalled the former prime minister's remarks that "history would be kinder" to him.
"He was grilled for scams that would never be proved, for his reticence that'd be held against him as a sign of weakness. But today India will perhaps agree to his 2014 remark: 'history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media'," Bhattacharya said in a post on X.
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, died here on Thursday night. He was 92.
His death was announced by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition.
Months before he demitted office as prime minister in 2014, Singh had famously asserted that his leadership was not weak and history would be kinder to him than what the media projected at that time.
Addressing a press conference here in January 2014, in what was one of his last media interactions, Singh had said, "I do not believe that I have been a weak Prime Minister ... I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter the Opposition in Parliament... Given the political compulsions, I have done the best I could do."
- 27 Dec 2024 7:01 AM IST
File photo: Manmohan Singh with US President Barack Obama
In this April 12, 2010 file image, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with U.S. President Barack Obama during their meeting in advance of the Nuclear Security Summit, at Blair House in Washington. PTI
- 27 Dec 2024 6:57 AM IST
File photo: Manmohan Singh with Vladimir Putin
In this March 12, 2010 file image, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands with his Russian counterpart Vladimir V Putin at a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. PTI
