UP minister recalls experience with former PM:Everyone was a fan of the simplicity and humility of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Be it his political allies or opponents. Everyone agrees that despite being a great economist and being the Prime Minister of the country for 10 years, the simplicity of a common middle class Indian was always visible in his personality. After the demise of the former Prime Minister, this quality of his has also been remembered by Uttar Pradesh’s Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge) Aseem Arun. Perhaps very few people would know that Aseem Arun had been deployed under the security of the former Prime Minister for a long time as a Special Protection Group (SPG) officer. While sharing his experiences during his tenure, Aseem Arun has paid an emotional tribute to Dr. Singh by remembering him. Arun, who was the closest security officer of the then Prime Minister in SPG for about 3 years, has told how Manmohan Singh liked his old Maruti 800 more than all the luxury cars including BMW included in the VVIP convoy.
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Manmohan Singh and his Maruti 800
Refreshing old memories, Aseem Arun said that when Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of the country, he had to travel in a high-tech BMW car for security reasons. But he was still very fond of his old Maruti 800. Asim Arun told in his memoir that Dr. Singh often used to say, “Asim, I do not like traveling in this car (i.e. BMW). My car is Maruti.” Arun says that whenever his convoy passed near his Maruti 800, his eyes were fixed on the same car. BMW may have been a symbol of the grandeur of the post of Prime Minister, but in the heart of Manmohan Singh, Maruti 800 was his real identity. Aseem Arun has shared this emotional memoir on social media immediately after the demise of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Along with this post, he has also shared an old picture of himself taken with Dr. Singh.
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What did Aseem Arun write in his post
Asim Arun has written in his social media post, “I was his body guard for almost three years since 2004. In SPG, there is the innermost circle of security of the PM – the Close Protection Team which I had the opportunity to lead. AIG CPT is the person who can never stay away from PM. If only one body guard can stay then this guy will be with him. In such a situation, it was my responsibility to stay with him like his shadow. Dr. Saheb had only one car – Maruti 800, which was parked behind the gleaming black BMW in the PM House. Manmohan Singh ji repeatedly told me – Asim, I do not like to travel in this car, my car is this (Maruti). I would explain that sir, this car is not for your luxury, its security features are such that SPG has taken it. But whenever the carcade passed in front of Maruti, he would always look at it with all his heart. As if you are repeating the resolution that I am a middle class person and it is my job to worry about the common man. PM’s car worth crores is mine, this is Maruti.”
I was his body guard for almost three years since 2004. SPG consists of the innermost circle of PM’s security – the Close Protection Team which I had the opportunity to lead. AIG CPT is the person who can never stay away from PM. If only one body guard can stay then this guy… pic.twitter.com/468MO2Flxe
— Asim Arun (@asim_arun) December 26, 2024
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Simplicity and attachment to middle class roots
Aseem Arun says that this nature of Dr. Singh shows how he was connected to his roots and middle-class identity. Even though all the expensive and high-tech luxury cars including BMW were a symbol of the grandeur of the post of Prime Minister, but Maruti 800 had a special place in Manmohan Singh’s heart. Aseem Arun told that even when he was the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh’s life was very simple. He preferred to remain connected with the lives of the common people and their struggles rather than the grandeur of his position. This thinking and simplicity of his was not only a specialty of his personality, but was also reflected in his policies and working style.
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Manmohan Singh is alive in memories
Dr. Manmohan Singh died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Thursday night at the age of 92. After his demise, many people like Aseem Arun, who were once associated with him, are remembering his simplicity, his commitment towards the public and his human values. These memories of Manmohan Singh are a tribute to a person who was a symbol of simplicity and honesty in every sense.
