The mild-mannered Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday aged 92 and was described as a “reluctant king” in his first term as prime minister, was arguably one of India’s most successful leaders.
Singh, the first Sikh to lead his country, was prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and served a rare two terms. He was being treated for age-related illnesses.
He is credited with helping India achieve unprecedented economic growth and lifting hundreds of millions of people out of abject poverty. He then served a rare second term.
“India mourns the loss of one of its most respected leaders,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
He praised the work of the economist-turned-politician.
Singh was born into a poor family in a part of British-ruled India that is now in Pakistan. He studied by candlelight to secure a place at Cambridge University before going to Oxford and completing his doctorate with a thesis on the role of exports and free trade in the Indian economy.
He became a respected economist, then governor of India’s central bank and government adviser, but had no apparent plans for a political career when he was suddenly appointed finance minister in 1991.
During this term until 1996, Singh was the architect of reforms that rescued India’s economy from a severe balance of payments crisis, promoting deregulation and other measures that opened an island country to the world.
He famously quoted Victor Hugo in his first budget speech, saying, “No power in the world can stop an idea whose time has come,” before adding, “The emergence of India as a major economic power of the world happens to be one such idea.” “
Singh’s rise to prime ministership in 2004 was even more unexpected.
He was asked to take over the post by Sonia Gandhi, who led the center-left Congress party to a surprise victory. As a native of Italy, she feared that if she were to lead the country, her heritage would be exploited by Hindu nationalist opponents to attack the government.
During an unprecedented period of economic growth, Singh’s government shared the spoils of the country’s newfound wealth and introduced welfare programs such as an employment program for the rural poor.
In 2008, his administration also reached a landmark agreement that allowed peaceful trade in nuclear energy with the United States for the first time in three decades, paving the way for close ties between New Delhi and Washington.
But his efforts to further open the Indian economy often failed due to political disputes within his own party and demands from coalition partners.
“History will be kinder to me”
And although he was widely respected by other world leaders, Singh always had to resist the idea at home that Sonia Gandhi was the real power in government.
The widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, whose family has dominated Indian politics since independence from Britain in 1947, she remained leader of the Congress Party and often made important decisions.
Singh was known for his simple lifestyle and had a reputation for honesty. He was not personally considered corrupt. But he came under fire for failing to take tough action against members of his government when a series of scandals erupted in his second term, sparking mass protests.
In the final years of his premiership, India’s growth story, which he helped shape, faltered as global economic turmoil and slow government decision-making dented investment sentiment.
In 2012, his government fell into a minority after the Congress party’s main ally walked out of his coalition in protest at the entry of foreign supermarkets.
Two years later, the Congress was decisively swept aside by the Bharatiya Janata Party under Narendra Modi, a strongman who promised to end economic gridlock, eliminate corruption and bring inclusive growth to the hinterland.
But at a press conference just months before he left office, Singh insisted he had done his best.
“I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or, for that matter, the opposition parties in Parliament,” he said.
Singh is survived by his wife and three daughters.
