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Manmohan Singh‘s contributions – as Finance Minister (1991-1996) and Prime Minister (2004-2014) – “laid the foundations” for India ‘s growth and the “substantive work” done post-2014, when Narendra Modi became PM, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told NDTV Friday evening.
Mr Puri also told NDTV that political loyalties and ideologies aside, “what is important now is that the economic reforms he set in motion… first as Finance Minister and then as Prime Minister… they laid the foundations for the substantive work done post-2014…”
Mr Puri, who worked for the Foreign Service when Dr Singh was Prime Minister, also hailed the late Congress stalwart’s sincerity and determination, citing the civil nuclear energy deal with the United States – then a controversial agreement championed by Dr Singh – to make his point.
“In recalling the contributions of the late Dr Manmohan Singh, I think what needs to be stressed is that behind the quiet demeanour was a very strong resolve. He came through as being a soft-spoken person and also chose to express himself in soft terms… but, when he had taken a decision after having convinced himself, he did not spare any effort for implementation.”
“I think the India-US civil nuclear deal was a case in point. It was clear almost from the minute the final phase of negotiations began that the deal would come in for a lot of criticism… both from within the Congress and left-of-centre parties and, indeed, others.”
“But I think Dr Singh was convinced India’s economic growth trajectory would require an abundance of energy, and he was convinced nuclear energy provided a possible solution.”
“So, when the opposition attacks grew, he didn’t flinch. He chose to become more determined… to the point he was willing to forsake the future of his government. I think that strategy worked.”
Among Dr Singh’s many notable achievements and contributions, as Finance Minister, Prime Minister, and Rajya Sabha MP, was the civil nuclear agreement with the US in 2008.
READ | How Manmohan Singh Laid The Foreign Policy Foundation PM Modi Built Upon
But not everyone was convinced the deal would be good for the country. In fact, in July of that year, less than three months before the accord was to be signed, Dr Singh and the Congress-led UPA government faced a no-confidence motion in Parliament after the Left withdrew support.
The UPA needed a simple majority to remain afloat, but the stakes were so high, and the margins so fine, that it would be a nervous few hours for Dr Singh and his legacy.
As it happened, the government claimed an emphatic win; 268 MPs voted in its favour, including 37 from the Samajwadi Party. The opposition, led by the BJP’s NDA, finished with 169 votes.
READ | India-US Nuclear Deal: Crowning Glory Of Manmohan Singh’s Leadership
The deal changed India’s overall engagement with the US, as it paved the way for building the bonds of a strategic partnership, especially in areas of high-technology and defence.
It also announced, in some senses, India’s arrival on the world stage, as a mature global player, a fact underlined by Dr Singh’s handling of relations with Pakistan and China, for which he, like Mr Modi after him, stood on the shoulders of his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Mistakes and missteps may have been made, but the outpouring of emotional tributes for Dr Singh, who died late Thursday at Delhi’s AIIMS, from within the Congress and from its fierce rivals, the BJP, as well as foreign heads of state, underscore the impact he had on the world as we know today.
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