He charted the course for India’s economic reform, liberating it from the constraints of the licence raj and rescuing it from financial turmoil when the nation’s gold reserves were in danger. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a scholar and the architect of the contemporary India, evolving into a steadfast and resolute politician. Modest, well-read, gentle in his speech, and adept at building consensus, Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He was 92 years old.
The Congress leader served as the head of the nation for a decade from 2004 to 2014, and previously as finance minister, playing a crucial role in establishing the nation’s economic framework. He gained international recognition in both financial and economic fields.
His government implemented transformative initiatives such as the Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE), and MNREGA. Manmohan famously recounted studying by the dim light of kerosene lamps in his village that lacked electricity, eventually rising to become a prominent academic figure. He was a reluctant politician, gradually stepping into mainstream political challenges.
He emerged as a surprising choice for Prime Minister when Sonia Gandhi opted not to assume the position, despite pressure from her party, ultimately selecting Singh instead. Thus, Manmohan Singh became India’s 14th Prime Minister in 2004. Their partnership endured for 10 years, often noted for its calmness and serving as a prime example of an effective working relationship. Despite inevitable tensions, Singh also had to manage the demands of the United Progressive Alliance’s coalition partners.
N N Vohra, a former governor of Jammu and Kashmir, remarked that Singh consistently “stood firm like a rock in pursuing ethical paths, even when it led to difficulties with his political party”.
In 2014, the UPA lost power amid a series of corruption scandals, leading to the BJP’s uninterrupted governance since that time. Singh was lauded for placing India on the path to liberalisation and privatisation in the early 1990s but faced criticism for overlooking corruption allegations.
Challenges often arose. During his initial years as Prime Minister, his coalition began to crumble following India’s civil nuclear agreement with the US, which almost resulted in his government’s downfall as Left parties withdrew their support from the UPA coalition. Nevertheless, his administration prevailed.
On July 22, 2008, the UPA encountered its first confidence vote in the Lok Sabha after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) withdrew support over India’s engagement with the IAEA concerning the Indo-US nuclear deal. The UPA successfully won the confidence vote with 275 votes compared to the opposition’s 256, achieving a narrow victory of just 19 votes after 10 MPs abstained.
Towards the end of his tenure, as he defended his government’s record and the Congress party’s stance on controversial matters like the 2G scandal, Singh insisted he was not powerless. “I sincerely hope history will treat me more kindly than the contemporary media or the opposition parties in Parliament,” he famously stated in January 2004.
More than two decades later, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his condolences on X, stating: “Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji!” His decade at the helm is widely regarded as a period of unparalleled growth and prosperity.
Manmohan Singh’s rise to the pinnacle of India’s governance and political landscape is unprecedented in Indian political history. Forever seen in a powder blue turban, he became India’s finance minister in 1991 under the Narasimha Rao government. His contributions to implementing a sweeping economic reform policy are now recognised globally.
In January 1991, India faced a severe challenge in financing its essential imports, particularly oil and fertilisers, along with settling official debts. By July 1991, the RBI had pledged 46.91 tonnes of gold to the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan in exchange for $400 million. Manmohan Singh expertly navigated the economy and was able to repurchase the gold just months later.
Vohra, who served as both defence and home secretary during that period, mentioned visiting then-Finance Minister Singh daily to plead for financial assistance for his department.
Born to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932, in Gah, a village in the Punjab province of undivided India (now in Pakistan), Singh completed his matriculation at Punjab University in 1948. His academic journey led him from Punjab to the University of Cambridge, UK, where he graduated with First Class Honours in Economics in 1957. He then earned a D.Phil in Economics from Nuffield College, Oxford University, in 1962.
Singh began his career as a lecturer at Punjab University and the esteemed Delhi School of Economics. He also had a brief tenure at the UNCTAD Secretariat and later served as the Secretary-General of the South Commission in Geneva from 1987 to 1990.
In 1971, Singh joined the Indian government as an economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry, soon becoming the chief economic advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972. He held numerous significant positions, including Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and Chairperson of the University Grants Commission.
His political career commenced in 1991 as a member of the Rajya Sabha, where he acted as Leader of the Opposition from 1998 to 2004. Remarkably, Singh was a member of the Rajya Sabha for 33 years without ever winning a Lok Sabha election, having lost once to BJP’s V K Malhotra from the New Delhi constituency in 1999.
Singh faced accusations from the BJP of presiding over a government tainted by corruption, with the party labelling him “MaunMohan Singh” for his perceived silence on corrupt officials within his cabinet. Despite numerous labels and criticisms, Singh consistently maintained his dignity.
He is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters. His understated nature meant that little was known about his family, who also led quiet lives throughout his 10 years in office.
Singh was known for his calm yet firm demeanor. Close sources indicated that he had nearly resolved to resign as Prime Minister in September 2013 after Rahul Gandhi described the Cabinet’s decision to permit convicted politicians to contest elections as “complete nonsense” and insisted it should be revoked. Singh was travelling abroad at that time.
In 2016, Singh took a strong stance against demonetisation implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, referring to it as “organised loot and legalised plunder”. During the no-confidence motion against his government in 2008, he aptly remarked, “The greatness of democracy is that we are all birds of passage! We are here today, gone tomorrow! But in the brief time that the people of India entrust us with this responsibility, it is our duty to be honest and sincere in the discharge of these responsibilities.”
