New Delhi: In July 2008, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stood up in Parliament to defend his beleaguered government in the face of a no-confidence motion. He said, “Everything I have done in this high office has been done with a clear conscience and with the best interests of my country and our people at heart.” The motion fell, and Singh served two full terms in office.
Sixteen years later, political and ideological boundaries collapsed when leaders came together to pay tribute to Singh.
Allies, opponents, world leaders, intellectuals, sportspersons and millions of ordinary Indians on Friday paid tribute to the two-time prime minister and former finance minister, calling him a “visionary” and an “outstanding statesman”.
Flags flew at half mast on a gloomy, cloudy day in the national capital as a large number of people descended on Singh’s residence at 3, Motilal Nehru Road, where his mortal remains were kept.
His wife Gursharan Kaur and other family members stood near his body, which was draped in the tricolour, with people of all colors including President Draupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and leaders of the opposition. People were standing. Rahul Gandhi paid his last respects in the Lok Sabha.
Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi called him her “friend, philosopher and guide”.
“A shining and beloved guide for the Congress Party, his compassion and vision transformed and empowered the lives of millions of Indians,” he said.
Several people, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, left notes in a condolence book in the drawing room of his home, where he spent the last decade of his life after moving out of the official Prime Minister’s residence in 2014.
Tributes poured in from around the world as former presidents, prime ministers and diplomats recalled their interactions with the soft-spoken economist, who died at the age of 92 due to age-related ailments.
Social media was filled with images of Singh in his unmistakable powder-blue turban, as people celebrated his role as finance minister in 1991 after breaking the shackles of the License Raj and implementing social security measures for India’s poorest sections. His transformative impact on the economy was celebrated. Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014.
Singh’s mortal remains will be taken from his residence to the Congress’ Akbar Road headquarters at 8 am on Saturday, where the public will be allowed to express their condolences. The last journey will reach Nigambodh Ghat at 9.30 am. His last rites will be performed there with full state honors at 11.45 am.
The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met at 11 am and paid tribute to “a distinguished statesman, renowned economist and an eminent leader” who “left his mark on our national life.” The Center had announced a week of national mourning on Thursday.
Separately, in a video eulogy, Modi remembered Singh as a remarkable human being whose journey from Partition-era displacement to India’s highest office embodied the country’s resilient spirit.
“His humility, gentleness and intelligence became the hallmark of his parliamentary career. I remember that earlier this year when his tenure in Rajya Sabha ended, I had said that his dedication as an MP is inspiring for all. Despite his age, he will attend important sessions and fulfill his parliamentary duties on a wheelchair,” Modi said. Later he paid floral tributes at Singh’s residence and expressed condolences to his wife Kaur.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajnath Singh and Hardeep Puri also visited the residence, as did BJP chief JP Nadda.
Chief Ministers MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) and Revanth Reddy (Telangana) also reached Delhi to pay tribute to him.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar met Singh’s family and “acknowledged his enduring legacy”, while former President Ram Nath Kovind called Singh “a modern reformer for the Indian economy”, his office said in a statement.
A contingent of foreign leaders and politicians expressed their memories of the Cambridge and Oxford-educated technocrat and underlined the efforts made by Singh to establish India as a force on the global stage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement that Singh was “a remarkable person” who made a “great personal contribution to strengthening friendly relations” between the two countries.
“As Prime Minister and in other high-ranking positions, he achieved much in promoting India’s economic growth and establishing its interests on the world stage. He made a great personal contribution to strengthening the friendly relations between our two countries by raising them to the level of a special privileged strategic partnership… I had the opportunity to talk several times with this remarkable man. We will cherish their memories,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said, “India has lost a great man” and France has lost a true friend.
“He dedicated his life to his country. Our thoughts are with his family and the people of India,” Macron said on the X.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid an emotional tribute to his former Indian counterpart, calling him “my friend, my brother”.
“During the years of my imprisonment, he extended kindnesses that he should not have – which was neither politically expedient nor, as one can imagine, appreciated by the Malaysian government at the time.. . He offered a scholarship specifically for my son, Ehsaan. Although I declined this kind offer, this kind gesture undoubtedly showed his extraordinary humanity and generosity,” said Abraham, who He was jailed between 1999 and 2004 and again from 2015 to 2018.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Singh “one of the greatest champions of the bilateral strategic partnership”. “Dr. Singh was one of the greatest proponents of the US-India strategic partnership and his work laid the foundation for much that our countries have achieved together over the past two decades,” he said.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called him “a visionary leader”.
Tributes also came from the leaders of Afghanistan, Maldives, Mauritius and Nepal, underscoring the indelible mark left by Singh’s legacy, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper said he was saddened to learn of the passing.
“He was a man of extraordinary intelligence, integrity and wisdom. “Lauren and I want to express our condolences to all of her family and friends,” Harper said.
Many business leaders praised Singh’s legacy of eliminating government controls on business and allowing private enterprise to flourish.
Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the country has lost one of its greatest leaders and finest economists. “His most defining contribution – 91 landmark reforms that fueled a multi-decade economic boom and, more importantly, reshaped the calculus of prospects for India and Indians,” Birla said in a statement.
Sunil Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said Indian industry, economy and especially entrepreneurs, owe a debt of gratitude to the liberalization reforms initiated in the early 90s under the leadership of Manmohan Singh.
Economists across the world also paid tribute to the stalwart in his field, who was also the erstwhile Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Kaushik Basu, former chief economist of the World Bank, said that Singh’s humility came from a “deep sense of courage and confidence”.
“He was a combination of sharp intelligence, innate humility and personal integrity, which is rare in politics,” the former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India told news agency PTI.
Geeta Gopinath, the first Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), credited Singh for “significantly enhancing the economic prospects for millions of Indians”.
“His visionary reforms inspired countless young economists like me. Rest in peace, Dr. Manmohan Singh,” he said.
The sports world paid tribute to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
“Dr. Manmohan Singh ji’s demise is a deep loss for India. His contribution to our nation will always be remembered. My prayers are with his family and loved ones as we mourn his passing,” he said on X.
