Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives with his wife Gursharan Kaur for the launch of an online and application campaign for Congress Party membership in New Delhi on March 30, 2015.
Money Sharma | Afp | Getty Images
Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over on Tuesday at age 92 sparked a flood of condolences and tributes from political leaders of both parties and industry giants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Singh one of India’s “most outstanding leaders.” post to X. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party defeated Singh’s Congress alliance in the 2014 elections and has been in power ever since.
Singh was a “respected economist,” Modi added, who “left a strong impression” on India’s economic policy.
Before becoming prime minister in 2004, Singh was governor of the Reserve Bank of India in 1982 and finance minister in 1991.
As finance minister, he led a series of reforms that deregulated the Indian economy and opened the country to foreign investment.
Facing an acute balance of payments crisis, then Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and Singh liberalized the economy, paving the way for its rapid expansion in the following decades.
“History will forever recognize his pivotal role in the transformative reforms of 1991 that transformed India and opened its doors to the world.” wrote Gautam Adani, India’s second richest person and chairman of the Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
Singh returned to politics in 2004 when a Congress-led coalition won elections and party leader Sonia Gandhi appointed him prime minister.
During his tenure between 2004 and 2014, India’s gross domestic product initially grew rapidly, allowing Singh to use the new wealth for programs like this National law on employment guarantee in rural areaswhich guaranteed jobs for the poor.
However, the later years of Singh’s premiership were marked by stagnant growth, stalled reforms and allegations of corruption against certain members of the government.
Singh played a crucial role in strengthening India’s ties with Washington. I visit the USA several times as Prime Minister. When US President George W. Bush visited India in 2006, Singh managed to negotiate a deal this gave India access to US nuclear technology.
“Dr. Singh was one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership, and his work laid the foundation for much of what our countries have accomplished together over the past two decades.” wrote the US State Department on Singh’s death.
In addition to the US, Singh also strengthened India’s ties with Russia. He regularly attended the India-Russia annual summit, which began in 2000 and aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries and the BRIC countries.
Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said to X: “Dr. Manmohan Singh’s contribution to our bilateral relations has been immeasurable.”
