Manmohan Singh Death News Updates: Former PM’s last rites to be held tomorrow at Nigambodh Ghat

Congress Jairam Ramesh said it wasn't clear why the government was unable to find a location for the cremation of former prime minister Manmohan Singh that would "honour his legacy".

The party general secretary in-charge of communications said that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that the cremation of Singh take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.

"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades. This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," Ramesh wrote on X.

He held an overseas bank account that had his earnings from working abroad. The value of his savings, in rupee terms, went up following the July 1991 decision of the government to devalue the Indian currency.

Instead of pocketing the gains, Manmohan Singh, who was the finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government at that time, just wrote a cheque for the incremental gains and had it deposited in the Prime Minister National Relief Fund.

Recounting the incident, Ramu Damodaran, who was private secretary to the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, said shortly after the devaluation decision, Manmohan Singh visited the PM's office.

He walked straight into the PM's room from his car, but on the way out, he detoured to come to Damodaran's room.

"Maybe a couple of days after the devaluation. He came for a meeting (with PM), and on the way out, he handed over a small envelope to me and asked me to deposit it in the PM's National Relief Fund," Damodaran told PTI from New York, where he is currently posted as permanent observer for the University for Peace to the United Nations.

The envelope contained a cheque for "a huge amount". "I don't recall the sum mentioned, but it was a significant amount," he said.

The All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS affiliate, paid tributes to Manmohan Singh and said with the death of the former prime minister the country has lost a great economist who accelerated economic progress of the country.

In a statement, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram's national president Satyendra Singh said the former prime minister will also be remembered for his sensitivity towards the problems of the tribal society.

"He played an important role in enactment of the Forest Rights Act in 2006 to rectify the historical injustice done to the tribal society," he said.

He had also expressed concern over the "exploitation" of the tribal society many times, Singh added. "All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram expresses grief over the demise of Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Manmohan Singh and pays emotional tribute to his memory," the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram chief said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday described former prime minister Manmohan Singh as an outstanding statesman and recalled his contribution in elevating India-Russia ties to a 'special and privileged strategic' partnership.

In a condolence message, Putin said Singh accomplished a lot in promoting India's economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage.

The strategic partnership between India and Russia was elevated to the level of 'special and privileged strategic partnership' during the visit of the Russian president to India in December 2010.

Singh, who served as the prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and widely known as the architect of India's economic reforms, died on Thursday night. He was 92.

"As prime minister and when serving in other high-ranking positions, he accomplished a lot in promoting India's economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage," Putin said.

Putin also referred to his conversations with Singh. "I had the occasion of talking with this remarkable man several times. We will cherish the memory of him," he said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has urged PM Modi to conduct last rites of Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built.

The last rites are set to be performed at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi at 11:45 AM on Saturday.

-PTI

Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri recalled fond memories of his association with the late Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who died in Delhi on Thursday night.

Kasuri said that Dr Singh will be remembered in history as a man who devoted himself to the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Kasuri, 83, who served as Pakistan's foreign minister from November 2002 to November 2007, credited Singh for the creation of a congenial atmosphere in the entire SAARC region.

He said it was best exemplified by Singh's statement that “he looked forward to the day when it would be possible to have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul”.

Kasuri said he was lucky to be a part of a process in which unprecedented progress was made during the peace negotiations between the two countries.

He said people-to-people contacts were enhanced tremendously during Singh's tenure as prime minister resulting in the creation of mutual trust between the two governments.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away aged 92 in the national capital on Thursday, had a brush with the justice system when he was summoned as an accused in a coal-block allocation case.

The Supreme Court, however, intervened and stayed the directive.

Singh, an astute economist and a stalwart politician, questioned the absence of the mandated sanction for prosecuting public officials like him, and denied any criminality in his decision concerning the coal block allocation.

His appeal in the top court challenged a trial court's March 2015 order that summoned him as an accused in the alleged irregularities over the allotment of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.

Indian flag at half-mast at President House, after the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

Shankersinh Vaghela, the former Gujarat CM and a Union minister in the first Manmohan Singh Cabinet of 2004, described the late prime minister as "extremely humble".

"In the first Cabinet meeting, I suggested there should be transparency and right to information and I thank him for introducing the Right to Information Act in 2005. He gave transparency to the people. As an expert economist, he and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia (then deputy chairman of the Planning Commission) saved the country from the 2008 recession.

Vaghela quit the Congress in 2017, and has recently launched a new party.

Arjun Modhwadia, BJP MLA from Porbandar and a former Congress leader, described the former PM as a "father figure" to him and a "great human being who understood the pain of our country".

"As a person, he was like a father and guide to me", said Modhwadia.

After former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh passed away aged 92 on Thursday, leaders across the political spectrum paid heartfelt tributes, remembering him for his integrity, intellect, and transformative policies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, and Rahul Gandhi said he had lost a mentor.

Read the full report here

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the news of the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is extremely sad.

Shah recounted that Singh played important parts as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, the finance minister of the country and later as the Prime Minister.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath called the demise of former Prime Minister and renowned economist Manmohan Singh an irreparable loss to Indian politics.

Adityanath said as Finance Minister and Prime Minister, Singh played an important role in the governance of the country. "I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant salvation to the departed soul and give strength to his bereaved family and supporters to bear this immense sorrow," Adityanath wrote on X.

While Manmohan Singh will be remembered for many things, his lasting legacy as Prime Minister of India will be implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

His demise comes as the RTI Act enters its 20th year of implementation, as a weapon in the hands of ordinary citizens that no politician can take on publicly, even if they choose to blunt it.

During the debate on the legislation, Singh told the Lok Sabha: “The passage of this Bill will see the dawn of a new era in our processes of governance, an era of performance and efficiency, an era which will ensure that benefits of growth flow to all sections of our people...”

Read the full report here

Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister and chief of Trinamool Congress, expressed her profound sadness and says she's "stunned" by the sudden demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"I had worked with him and saw him from very close quarters in the Union Cabinet. His erudition and wisdom were unquestionable, and the depth of the financial reforms ushered in by him in the country are widely acknowledged . The country will miss his stewardship and I shall miss his affection," Singh wrote.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says he's deeply saddened by the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"It was during his tenure as PM that I became the CM of Karnataka for the first time. His encouragement of our budgetary measures and the influence of landmark UPA policies like the Right to Food Act shaped Karnataka's progress and welfare initiatives, he wrote on X.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said he was deeply grieved at the passing away of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Jaishankar recalled his time working with the noted economist and said while Singh was regarded as the architect of Indian economic reforms, "he was equally responsible for the strategic corrections to our foreign policy".

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was the architect of economic reforms, shaping modern India, opened its doors to the world with intellect, grace, and integrity, industry leaders Gautam Adani and Harsh Goenka said on Thursday.

Mourning the death of Singh, who passed away this evening, Adani in a post on X said: "History will forever honour his pivotal role in the transformative 1991 reforms that reshaped India and opened its doors to the world."

Similarly in a post on X, RPG Enterprise Chairman Harsh Goenka wrote, "India mourns the loss of Dr. Manmohan Singh, a true statesman whose quiet demeanour belied his transformative impact.".

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra in a tweet on X said: "Farewell Dr. Manmohan Singh. You loved this nation. And your service to it will long be remembered".

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon Limited, posted on X: "Manmohan Singh, 2-Time PM And Architect Of India's Economic Reforms, Dies At 92 - He was an erudite economist and a man of high integrity. A PM to whom we owe our economic turnaround."

-PTI

In his first address to the nation as PM on June 24, 2004, Manmohan Singh said “Gandhiji had said that his mission in life was ‘to wipe every tear from every eye’… That message of Bapu resonates in our ears as we settle down to the business of government…"

Cut to May 17, 2024, in his final address as an occupant of the PM's office, Singh said "I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our Nation. "

Read the full version here

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar called the demise of former Prime Minister of the country, Dr Manmohan Singh, "an irreparable loss for Indian politics".

Calling him a skilled politician, Kumar said Under Manmohan Singh's leadership, India's economy got a new direction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a heartfelt tribute to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, describing him as “one of India’s most distinguished leaders” whose legacy will endure in the nation’s history.

“Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist,” Modi said, reflecting on Singh’s transformative role in shaping India’s economic policies.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Manmohan Singh led the country with integrity.

With Singh's demise, I have lost a mentor, Gandhi said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Manmohan Singh, the former PM and noted economist, "led India with immense wisdom and integrity.

Gandhi referenced Singh's humility and said the latter's deep understanding of economics inspired the nation.

"My heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Kaur and the family. I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride," Gandhi said.

Manmohan Singh had a regret. Speaking to The Indian Express on 25 years of the 1991 reforms, the former PM said we "act only when there is a crisis".

Reflecting on the reforms that he, working with Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, set in motion, Singh opened up to The Indian Express, in a rare conversation earlier this year, as he mapped the road ahead: opposition from within, role of the Prime Minister’s “political management,” fear of “blood and tears,” and the crying “need to revisit old orthodoxies.”

Read the full interview here

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress parliamentarian, said that few people in politics “inspire the kind of respect that Sardar Manmohan Singh did”.

Vadra was one of the first leaders to reach AIIMS on Thursday night.

Singh was admitted to the hospital around 8 PM in a critical condition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoles the passing away of Manmohan Singh. In a post on X, Modi said the country was mourning the loss of "one of its most distinguished leaders".

His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives, Modi wrote.