“India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji,” said PM Modi shortly after AIIMS Delhi announced former PM Manmohan Singh’s demise on Thursday night.
“…Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji and I interacted regularly when he was PM and I was the CM of Gujarat. We would have extensive deliberations on various subjects relating to governance. His wisdom and humility were always visible. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the family of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji, his friends and countless admirers. Om Shanti,” PM Modi added further.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of India’s economic reforms, died on Thursday night. He was 92.
Singh’s death was announced by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, where he was admitted in the Emergency ward around 8.30 PM in a critical condition.
An AIIMS bulletin said “he was treated for age related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home” on December 26.
“Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to medical emergency at AIIMS Delhi at 8.06 pm. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 pm,” said the bulletin.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered his condolences to Singh’s family and his supporters. In a post on X, he wrote, “The news of the demise of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is extremely sad. From being the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India to the Finance Minister of the country and as the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh played an important role in the governance of the country. I express my condolences to his family and supporters in this hour of grief. May Waheguru grant peace to his soul and give strength to his family to bear this grief.”
Here is how other prominent leaders reacted to Singh’s death.
Singh, who was prime minister for two terms in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014, had been in poor health for the last few months.
He is survived by wife Gurcharan Singh and three daughters.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her mother Sonia Gandhi reached the hospital as soon as the news of his hospitalisation became known.
Singh, who was finance minister under the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, was the architect and the brainchild of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy and ushered in an era of economic liberalisation that is widely believed to have changed the course of India’s economic trajectory.
Singh died as the Congress party concluded its Congress Working Committee meeting at Belagavi in Karnataka, where all top party leaders were present.
It is believed that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are on their way to Delhi from Belagavi.
