Manmohan Singh, Silent Transformer of India, Passes Away
Dr Manmohan Singh at swearing in ceremony in 2004. Image credit @RahulGandhi
Manmohan Singh, Architect of New India, Leaves Deep Imprints
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, December 26: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday after a spell of age-related ailments. Singh lost consciousness at home and he was declared dead at the AIIMS after efforts to resuscitate him failed.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) announced the passing away of the former prime minister on Thursday evening. Singh had been ailing for past few years. His public appearances this year had been too few.
Singh, 92, was described as an accidental prime minister by his former press advisor Sanjaya Baru. A film made on his stint as the prime minister had sought to mock at him.
In his last press conference as the prime minister, Singh had wrapped up the interaction with the media, saying: “History will be kinder to me than the press.” Singh spoke least but he often interacted with the media.
Singh’s 10-year tenure at the helm of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government saw eventful political stability. The 26/11 Mumbai terror attack on his watch left India bruised.
The India-US Civil Nuclear Deal signed on his watch heralded tectonic shift in bilateral relationship between the two countries. Singh almost staked his government for the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal. The Left parties withdrew the support to the UPA government. Singh survived the no-confidence motion with the support of the 37 MPs of the Samajwadi Party as late Amar Singh emerged the saviour of his government.
With Pakistan, Singh began a policy of complete isolation. The former prime minister shunned all official engagements with Pakistan. On his watch, India pursued the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused through legal means by partnering with the US.
It’s to the credit of Singh that the internal security architecture built by India in the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attack brought gradual dominance over terrorists. The militancy in Jammu and Kashmir was also largely tamed in subsequent years.
On the policy front, Singh deftly pursued the reforms even while his first term was under the hawk’s eyes of the Left parties. Singh gave a new realm to the rural development by launching the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Singh was also the architect of the Right to Education Act and Right to Information Act. Both the laws have been credited for far-reaching impacts in social inclusion and transparency.
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But Singh’s second tenure was marred by reports of scams exposed by the voluminous documents of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Also, his last few years witnessed the arrival of the popular protests in the national capital.
The Nirbhaya gangrape and the Anna Hazare movement for the institution of the Lokpal have widely been credited for a massive groundswell against the Congress. The Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s tearing off of a copy of the Cabinet note that proposed to give relief to political leaders convicted with jail terms of two or more years had deeply hurt the political stock of Singh.
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