Remembering Dr Manmohan Singh: He prepared the blueprint for India’s economic reforms, broke the chains of License Raj and brought the country out of the crisis at a time when the Reserve Bank had to pledge its gold reserves. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was such an architect who not only laid the foundation of new economic policies in India, but also played an unmatched role in building the edifice of economic prosperity on it. That too while fulfilling his political responsibilities with his simple personality, gentle nature and building consensus.
Silence, weakness or strength of the wise?
Opponents may have made fun of his tendency to emphasize work more than talk, but perhaps because of his nature, Manmohan Singh was successful in doing what can be termed as a silent revolution in the Indian economy. Could. If his personality was not so calm and gentle and did not attack anyone, then perhaps he would not have been able to take such important decisions and policy changes during the era of coalition politics, which he carried out very quietly. If he had been a leader who boasted about his every work and every achievement, then his opponents might not have been able to call him ‘Maun-Mohan’, but then perhaps we would not have been remembering him as the ‘Ajatashatru’ of modern India.
Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of new economic policies in the country as Finance Minister in 1991 before leading the country as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. During this period, apart from moving forward on the path of economic liberalisation, his government started historic schemes like Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE) and MNREGA. But even before that, he held many important positions including Finance Secretary of the country, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Chief Economic Advisor of the Finance Ministry for almost three decades, which played an important role in shaping and shaping the economic life of the country. Let’s fulfill.
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journey from ordinary life to the top
Manmohan Singh never sang songs from his ordinary background for political gain, but born on 26 September 1932 in village Gah (now Pakistan) in Punjab province, Manmohan Singh’s childhood was spent in a very grassroots environment. He started his studies by living in the village by the light of kerosene lamp and due to his talent, he became an internationally acclaimed economist. After passing his matriculation examination from Punjab University in 1948, he obtained a first class honors degree in Economics from Cambridge University in 1957 and a D.Phil degree from Oxford University in 1962. After completing his studies, he started his career by teaching at Punjab University and then also taught at Delhi School of Economics.
A new journey started in 1971
In 1971, Manmohan Singh took over the responsibility of Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce of the Government of India and in the very next year i.e. 1972, he was made the Chief Economic Advisor of the Finance Ministry. From 1987 to 1990, he worked as Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva. Apart from this, from time to time he also held important responsibilities like Finance Secretary of the Government of India, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the UGC.
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Became MP for the first time in 1991
Dr. Manmohan Singh became a member of Rajya Sabha in 1991. While being a member of this House, he started liberalization and globalization while being the Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao’s government and worked to give a new direction to the country’s economic policies. When Manmohan Singh took over as Finance Minister in 1991, the country was facing an economic crisis. To repay its import bills and loans, RBI had to raise 400 million dollars by mortgaging 46.91 tonnes of gold. Manmohan Singh handled the country’s economy very well in such difficult times and within a few months he brought back the country’s mortgaged gold by repaying the loan. After the Congress lost the elections under the leadership of Narasimha Rao in 1996, Manmohan Singh contributed to the Parliament as an opposition MP and held the responsibility of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2004.
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Sonia Gandhi’s historic decision in 2024
After the victory of UPA in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Sonia Gandhi refused to accept the post of Prime Minister despite heavy pressure from the party and handed over this responsibility to Manmohan Singh in her place. He took over the reins of the country as the 14th Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004. His tenure proved to be a milestone in the economic development of the country.
In 2009, the people of the country approved the performance of their government and handed over power to UPA again. After taking oath as the Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive time on 22 May 2009, he remained in this post till 2014. His career in parliamentary politics, which started when he became a Rajya Sabha member in 1991, lasted for about 33 years, but he never contested the Lok Sabha elections.
Example of balance between coalition pressures
Manmohan Singh’s 10-year tenure as Prime Minister can be considered an example of running a government with mutual cooperation and balance amidst pressures from coalitions. He was a person who took an almost unwanted step into politics, who had to face the ups and downs of active politics. Despite all the controversies, Manmohan Singh’s honesty and his dedication towards the economic development of the country remained beyond doubt. Dr. Manmohan Singh always remained known as a selfless politician. Opponents may call him “Mounmohan Singh”, but despite his calm image, he was a determined leader. The country had seen a glimpse of this when his government almost collapsed due to the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2008, but instead of succumbing to the pressure of some alliance partners, he faced them with full confidence and Won the trust vote in Parliament. At that time, while responding to the no-confidence motion against his government, he had said, “The greatness of democracy is that we all are like migratory birds. Those who are here today will be gone tomorrow. But during this time, the responsibility that the public gives us, It is our duty to fulfill it with honesty and integrity.”
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Will Manmohan Singh’s contribution be properly evaluated now?
Manmohan Singh’s personal life was a symbol of his simplicity. His wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters always stayed away from the limelight and lived a simple life. Despite sharp attacks and indecent remarks from his opponents, he never lost his decency and always maintained the dignity of his position and personality. From becoming the Economic Advisor of the Commerce Ministry in 1971 to completing his second term as Prime Minister in 2014, i.e. for more than 4 decades, he influenced the direction of the country’s economic policies in some way or the other. It is difficult to find another such example in the life of a politician in the history of the country.
In a press conference held in the last days of his second term as Prime Minister, while discussing the work and policies of his government, he had said, “I sincerely hope that history will evaluate me more generously than the current media and opposition parties.” Will support.” After the demise of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the way he is being remembered in the country and abroad, what he said seems to be true. The question is whether these things are being said only in passing or do they point towards some deep realization among those who evaluate Dr. Manmohan Singh?
