From passionate economist to PM: Here’s everything you need to know about the late Dr Manmohan Singh
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in the national capital on Thursday, December 26. Dr Singh was 92 years old and had been suffering from age-related problems for the past few months. Economist Dr Singh has played an important role in shaping the modern Indian economy. He is also praised for having played a major role in rescuing the economy from a major crisis in 1991 when the country was facing a debt crisis.
As the Finance Minister, Dr. Singh implemented drastic economic reforms, liberalized the economy and opened up foreign investment.
What makes Dr. Singh stand out as Prime Minister is that he was appointed as the head of government without having a strong background in politics. Dr Singh served two consecutive terms as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.
After former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr. Singh has served the longest tenure as Prime Minister, a tenure spanning 10 years and four days.
In 1991, the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao appointed Singh as the finance minister in his government.
Ex-Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s Journey
Here are a few interesting moments in Dr Singh’s career, from economics student to prime minister:
The humble beginnings of a soft-spoken empire
Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab (then undivided India, now Pakistan) to Gurumukh Singh and Amrit Kaur. After partition, his family moved to India.
He graduated and completed his post-graduate studies at the University of Punjab and received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University and a D.Phil from Oxford University.
He also worked as a professor at Punjab University and Delhi School of Economics.
Later, he served as Director of Economic Affairs for the United Nations Conference from 1966 to 1969. In 1971, he was appointed Economic Adviser to the Department of Trade and Industry. Dr Singh became the Chief Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance in 1972.
Dr Singh held several prominent positions including Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1982-1985), Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister, and Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
How Dr. Manmohan Singh’s political career began
Dr. Singh was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha in Assam in 1991 and was re-elected in 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013 and 2019. He retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 1998 2004 during the BJP rule.
Dr Singh contested the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi but lost to BJP’s Vijay Kumar Malhotra. He served as the Finance Minister from 1991 to 1996 under the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s government.
Accidentally PM?
Dr Singh was known to be quiet and soft spoken. In 2018, he responded well to his so called “Accidental PM”. In his modest tone, he casually added that he is not only the “mistake prime minister” but also the “minister of finance” by accident.
Social media was abuzz with posts depicting the simplicity and humility of Dr Manmohan Singh.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Social Welfare, Scheduled Caste and National Welfare Asim Arun, who was a bodyguard of Dr. Singh, took to the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) to share an incident about the former Prime Minister.
In the post, Arun explained that despite having access to a modern BMW fitted with advanced safety features, Dr Singh was very fond of his humble Maruti 800.
“Dr Sahab would often tell me, ‘Aseem, I don’t like to drive this car (BMW), my car is this (Maruti),” wrote Asim, emphasizing the leader’s deep connection with his middle-class roots.
Asim Arun, a former IPS officer, voluntarily retired in January 2022 to join politics.
