Manmohan Singh shot to prominence as Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao govt in early 1990s, bringing sweeping reforms | Ushered in an era of liberalisation that is widely believed to have changed the course of India’s economic trajectory | Known for his simple lifestyle, he served as PM for two terms in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014 | In 2008, his govt clinched a landmark nuke energy deal with the US, paving the way for strong ties with Washington

Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service

Curtains fell on Thursday on the illustrious life and times of Manmohan Singh, India’s 14th Prime Minister and the first from the Sikh community, who put the country on the path to progress by unleashing economic reforms as the Union Finance Minister in 1991.

Manmohan Singh breathed his last at the age of 92 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where he was brought in a critical condition at 8.06 pm. He was declared dead at 9.51 pm. Doctors said he was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had a sudden loss of consciousness at home today. He could not be resuscitated.

Manmohan Singh is survived by wife Gursharan Kaur, whom he married in 1958 and his three daughters — Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh.The government has announced the cancellation of all official events on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a Cabinet meeting tomorrow morning and pass a condolence resolution to honour the legacy of Manmohan Singh. The former PM, sources said, would be cremated with full state honours.

Aptly called “the father of reforms” by the late Pranab Mukherjee, his senior Cabinet colleague and once his competitor for the position of Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh will be remembered most for his role in the 1991 financial liberalisation.

It was the time when India was on the verge of default and he showed the courage to take a strong corrective.

Backed by then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh initiated a restructuring process eventually abolishing industrial licensing, opening up the private sector and cutting down on obstacles in the path of foreign investments.

As the late President and former Congress veteran, Pranab Mukherjee, recalls of Manmohan Singh in his memoirs of the Congress-led UPA years, “In an instant, the economic landscape was transformed, laying the ground work for an economically sound India in an increasingly global world. It was due to this legacy and in-depth experience that Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister. Notwithstanding the debate regarding his appointment as Prime Minister, there could have been no one more experienced in economic policy-making than Manmohan Singh. A political person, he held national interests above all else….a strong nationalist, a man of courage and conviction, Manmohan Singh was certainly not an accidental Prime Minister. I’m convinced that the future will judge Manmohan Singh in a different light as PV is assessed today.”

Generous praises of Manmohan Singh from Mukherjee, who in May 2004 lost the PM race when then Congress chief Sonia Gandhi chose the former to lead the UPA coalition, stand a testament to his abilities. Though often accused of being a “weak PM”, Manmohan Singh had his moments of glory and courage. The firmness with which he handled the Indo-US nuclear deal will stand out among the highest points in Manmohan Singh’s 33-year-old parliamentary career, which began in 1991 when he became the Finance Minister and entered the Rajya Sabha.

Manmohan Singh himself stated later, “The best moment for me was when we were able to strike a nuclear deal with the US to end the nuclear apartheid which had sought to stifle the process of social and economic change and technical progress of our country in many ways.” In 2008, Manmohan Singh not only handled stiff opposition from the Left, which was supporting the UPA, but also faced and won a no-confidence vote after the Left partners pulled back support over the issue. Manmohan Singh firmly refused to go back on the international commitment and was ready to risk his government though the victory in the vote was marred by the cash-for-vote allegations.

Another highlight of Manmohan Singh’s term in the PMO — 2004 to 2014 — was that he presided over 8.5 per cent GDP growth for most of the decade.

Right to education, right to information, the NREGA and farm loan waiver in Manmohan Singh’s first term in the PMO powered him to a second term in May 2009. It was, however, in his second term that Manmohan Singh faced flak for presiding over a “corrupt government”, with social activist Anna Hazare leading a massive anti-corrpution movement over a host of scams, including the Commonwealth Games, 2G and coal block allegations.

Manmohan Singh was also accused by rivals of deferring too much to the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, which the BJP called a “super cabinet” that suggested and steered policy reforms.

His strongest critique came in March 2013 when he chose to stay in the PMO even after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi publicly tore up an ordinance passed by the Cabinet humiliating the PM. Sources said Manmohan Singh was close to resigning at the time but stayed on after Sonia intervened and Rahul apologised to him.

That apart, Manmohan Singh’s life was dotted by highs from 1991 when he entered the RS as a member from Assam until April 2024 when he hung his boots.

Manmohan Singh’s regret, however, was he could never win an LS election. He lost the 1998 LS poll he fought from South Delhi. Manmohan Singh’s daughter Daman Singh was to later disclose in her book “Strictly Personal” that her mother Gursharan Kaur had advised Manmohan Singh against fighting that election.

While Manmohan Singh’s political career began in 1991 when he became the Finance Minister, he was initially a quintessential academic.

Born on September 26, 1932, at Gah village in Punjab province of undivided India, Manmohan Singh did his matric from Punjab University in 1948 and had an illustrious academic career before he became the PM in May 2004.

Manmohan Singh went to the University of Cambridge, UK, to secure a first class honours degree in economics in 1957; got a D Phil in Economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962; his book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth” was an early critique of India’s inward-oriented trade policy — something he would go on to challenge himself in the 1990s as the Union Finance Minister.

A suave academic, bureaucrat, politician and PM Manmohan Singh had his academic credentials burnished by the years he spent on the faculty of Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the Delhi School of Economics. He had a brief stint at the UNCTAD Secretariat as well during these years. This presaged a subsequent appointment as Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva between 1987 and 1990.

It was only in 1971 that Manmohan Singh joined the Government of India as Economic Adviser in the Commerce Ministry. He was handpicked by then PM Indira Gandhi.

He then became Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance in 1972 and went on to handle several major governmental positions, including Secretary in the Ministry of Finance; Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission; Governor of the Reserve Bank of India; Adviser of the Prime Minister; and Chairman of the University Grants Commission.

Then as Finance Minister, he spent five years between 1991 and 1996 in the role and ushered a comprehensive policy of economic reforms — the most abiding legacy of his term.

TRIBUTES POUR IN

His passing is a great loss to all of us. I pay my respectful homage to one of the greatest sons of Bharat and convey my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers. — Droupadi Murmu, President

India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders — Manmohan Singh. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

A man of action rather than words, his immense contribution to nation-building will forever be etched in the annals of history. — M Kharge, Congress Chief

Architect of india’s  economic reforms

1954: Completed Master’s in Economics from Panjab University

1957: Economic Tripos (3-yr degree) from Cambridge University

1962: DPhil in Economics

from Oxford University

1971: Joins as Economic Adviser in Commerce Ministry

1972: Appointed Chief Economic Adviser in Finance Ministry

1980-82: Member, Planning Commission

1982-1985: Governor of the RBI

1985-87: Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission

1987-90: Secretary General of South Commission in Geneva

1990: Appointed Adviser to Prime Minister on Economic Affairs

1991: Appointed UGC chairman

1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam, re-elected in 1995, 2001, 2007 and 2013 1991-96: Finance Minister under PV Narasimha Rao government

1998-2004: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha

2004-2014: Prime Minister