New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, known as the architect of economic reforms, passed away on Saturday and was laid to rest with full state honors. His daughter performed the last rites. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and several other dignitaries bid farewell to Singh.
Earlier, a funeral procession was held from the Congress headquarters to the Nigambodh Ghat. During the procession, Congress workers chanted slogans like “Manmohan Singh Amar Rahe” and “As long as the sun and moon exist, Manmohan’s name will live on.” Singh’s body was transported in a vehicle, accompanied by Congress leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and some members of his family. Before the procession, Singh’s body was placed at the Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, where Sonia Gandhi, Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and several senior party leaders and workers paid their tributes.
Notably, Dr. Singh passed away at the age of 92 on December 26, around 9 p.m., at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Following his death, there has been significant political debate between Congress and the BJP regarding the construction of a memorial for him. However, the government has clarified that a trust will be established to build a memorial for Dr. Singh.
Dr. Singh served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. Prior to that, as Finance Minister under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1991, he implemented liberal economic reforms that greatly benefited the Indian economy. After completing his MA in Economics from Punjab University in 1954, he pursued a first-class honors degree in Economics from Cambridge and completed his DPhil from Oxford in 1962.
Dr. Singh served as the Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce in 1971, Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972, and a member of the Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982. He was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985 and then became the Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission in 1985. He was appointed as the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister in 1990 and also served as a professor at Delhi University.