What Sonia Gandhi said about making Manmohan Singh prime minister

New Delhi:

In May 2004, Congress leader Manmohan Singh was sworn in as prime minister – a position he would hold for the next decade – but the mild-mannered and erudite economist who grabbed headlines as finance minister as he led the country through economic reforms of 1991 was a pick straight from left field, a surprise nomination for an entry that many believed had Sonia Gandhi’s name there.

However, Mrs Gandhi had other ideas, which she kept quiet about for the next 14 years.

In March 2014, the veteran Congress leader finally spoke out at an event in Mumbai.

“I knew my limits… I knew Manmohan Singh would be a better Prime Minister…”

Sure, there were a lot of questions.

Did condemnation of Ms. Gandhi’s Italian ancestry stop her from taking the job? If Dr. Singh would have become Prime Minister if Rajiv Gandhi had not been assassinated in 1991? Did the appeals of her children, understandably concerned about a mother ascending to a position that had claimed her father and grandmother, influence her? Were there differences of opinion within the ranks of Congress?

READ | How Manmohan Singh became ‘accidental prime minister’ after UPA’s surprise victory in 2004

But Mrs Gandhi put this aside and trusted her “inner voice” and Manmohan Singh.

Dr. Singh’s time as prime minister was marked by successes and scandals, challenges were overcome and corruption scams were exposed, and there was an avalanche of criticism from critics of the Congress, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. And among the most common bullets used in these attacks was the accusation that Manmohan Singh, then 71, was a “puppet” prime minister.

The loyal congressman always refused to allow himself to be infected by such taunts, carefully pushing aside criticism and questions and focusing on what was most important to him – the country and its people.

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The legacy that Dr. Singh has left behind – from laying a strong foundation for the economy to securing the India-US nuclear deal and from enacting rural employment programs to the Right to Education for Children Act – to his successor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. great success provides an enviable platform to build on.

READ | How Manmohan Singh laid the foreign policy foundation on which PM Modi built

And yet his legacy will also include the many jibes and taunts, including “quiet prime minister,” “reluctant prime minister,” and “accidental prime minister,” that were thrown his way by rival politicians, none of whom – at least publicly, for what trust – seemed maybe he shared it with his wife, we may never know – to Dr. to worry Singh.

READ | ‘People say I’m…’: Manmohan Singh defends ‘silent prime minister’ accusation.

Because he himself preferred to leave the assessment of his career to the annals of history. In 2014, he said with his typically dry but sharp humor: “I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or even the opposition parties in Parliament.”

And today, 92 years later, history will have the chance to do just that.

Because Dr. Manmohan Singh died late Thursday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.

The message from Dr. Singh’s death sparked immense sadness, not only within the Congress – party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior politicians Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed warm tributes – but also across parties, including the BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi – the Dr. Singh hailed as an “inspiration to lawmakers” when he retired from the Rajya Sabha in February this year – mourned his loss and paid his last respects to his predecessor at his Delhi residence this morning.

“Dr. Manmohan Singhji and I exchanged information regularly… We had extensive consultations on various issues related to governance. His wisdom and humility were always visible. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the family of Dr. Manmohan Singhjihis friends and countless admirers. Om Shanti.

READ | ‘Epitome of simplicity’: Prime Minister’s video tribute to Manmohan Singh

The death of Dr. Singh was also felt across the world. Former heads of state, especially his contemporaries such as former US President Barack Obama and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, remembered him as a scholar and gentleman.

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