Manmohan Singh’s passing attracts tributes from political, business leaders


Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives along with his spouse Gursharan Kaur for the launch of an internet and utility based mostly membership drive of the Congress Occasion in New Delhi on March 30, 2015. 

Cash Sharma | Afp | Getty Pictures

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s passing on Tuesday on the age of 92 triggered an outpouring of condolence messages and tributes from political leaders from either side of the aisle and business titans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to as Singh one in all India’s “most distinguished leaders” in a submit on X. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Occasion defeated Singh’s Congress alliance within the 2014 elections and has been in energy since.

Singh was a “revered economist,” Modi added, who left “a powerful imprint” on India’s financial coverage.

Earlier than he turned prime minister in 2004, Singh served because the governor of the Reserve Financial institution of India in 1982 and as minister of finance in 1991.

As finance minister, he led a collection of reforms that deregulated India’s financial system and opened the nation to international funding.

Going through an acute steadiness of funds disaster, then-Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Singh liberalized the financial system that paved the best way for its speedy growth within the following a long time.

“Historical past will ceaselessly honour his pivotal position within the transformative 1991 reforms that reshaped India and opened its doorways to the world,” wrote Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest particular person and chairperson of Indian conglomerate Adani Group.

Singh returned to politics in 2004 when a Congress-led coalition swept the elections, and social gathering chief Sonia Gandhi appointed him prime minister.

Underneath his tenure between 2004 and 2014, India’s gross home product initially expanded quickly, permitting Singh to deploy the brand new wealth to applications such because the Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act, which assured jobs for the poor. 

The later years of Singh’s stint as prime minister had been, nevertheless, marred by sclerotic progress, a stalling of reforms and allegations of corruption in opposition to sure members of the federal government.

Singh performed a pivotal position in strengthening India’s ties with Washington, visiting the U.S. a number of occasions as prime minister. In 2006, when U.S. President George W. Bush visited India, Singh managed to dealer a deal that gave India entry to U.S. nuclear know-how.

“Dr. Singh was one of many biggest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership, and his work laid the muse for a lot of what our international locations have achieved collectively prior to now 20 years,” wrote the U.S. Division of State on Singh’s passing.

Other than the U.S., Singh additionally strengthened India’s ties with Russia. He was an everyday attendee of the India-Russia Annual Summit, which started in 2000, and goals to deepen cooperation between the 2 international locations and amongst BRIC nations.

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov stated on X that “Dr Manmohan Singh’s contribution to our bilateral ties was immeasurable.”

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