Dr. Manmohan Singh breathed his last on December 26, responding to the call from God, which is inevitable for every mortal. The truth is “we belong to Allah and to Him is our return.”
He was a great son of India, a humble citizen, a great statesman, a visionary and one of the architects of modern India.
He opened India to the world through his restructuring of Indian economy. But he always had an eye on the interests of common citizens and weaker sections. He enriched India through his restructuring of our economy and policies of sustainable development. He was a man of few words but apowerful workaholic. Modern India will never forget him and his contributions to start a new phase in India economy.
He was one of the best Prime Ministers India ever had. He would be remembered for his personal qualities of integrity and humility. When he spoke, the whole world listened. When he worked, the whole world appreciated.
Born in a village Gah in Western Punjab (now Pakistan), he migrated to Amritsar at the time of Partition and settled down in Amritsar. He did his Ph.D. in economics from Oxford University with distinction. He is credited with pro-poor policies of MNREGA, expansion of midday meal, etc., which immensely helped the weaker sections of the country to improve their condition.
In the field of law-making also, he is credited with passing laws like Right to Information, Right to Food, and Right to Work, etc. These laws contributed a lot towards strengthening democracy and protecting human rights.
During his decadelong tenure as PM, the average annual GDP growth was 8.1% compared with average annual GDP growth of 4.5% in the last decade (2014-2024). Unemployment during his tenure was 2.2% while in the last decade it touched the highest point in the last 45 years.
Dr. Singh’s policies were responsible for lifting 22 crore people from poverty. Compare it with the last decade’s performance of the present government, which pushed about 16 crore people into BPL category.
Dr. Singh was a kind-hearted and non-communal PM and he never indulged in loose talk, communal slurs or heartrending comments against any section of Indian society. Sticking to power by hook or by crook had never been his aim; when he lost majority, he humbly renounced his post, but continued to serve people as a sincere and distinguished citizen. He was targeted and dishonoured several times by the present dispensation but he never retorted and always responded with a conquering smile mellowed with humility. These qualities make him a gem of Indian political scene. During his tenure India had a foreign debt of Rs. 55 lakh crore and now we are burdened with a foreign debt of Rs. 250 lakh crore. In his time U.S. dollar was available for Rs. 55 and now it has soared to Rs. 82.
Farewell respected and dear Manmohan Singh! India will always learn lessons of simplicity, humility, sincerity and integrity from you. Your moral stature and non-communal nature will be always remembered by one and all with love and respect. Your personality, your life and your contributions will give India lasting strength to fight for human rights and democracy. You have joined the galaxy of trailblazers of Indian history.