In his last press conference as the Prime Minister on January 3, 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh made a statement that has appeared many times in the last decade on social media.
When asked by NDTV’s Sunil Prabhu about his inability to rein in his ministers and his reluctance to act in certain situations, Dr Singh, with a calm smile, responded, “I honestly believe history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or, for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.”
He continued, "I cannot reveal all that takes place in the Cabinet system of government. Given the circumstances and the pressures of a coalition polity, I have done the best I could under the conditions at hand.
During those years, the UPA-II government was facing serious charges of corruption in almost every ministry. This was among the crucial reasons why the Congress faced defeat in the 2014 general election. There was an emergence of Narendra Modi and BJP, who rose to power by defeating the Congress.
On Thursday, Dr. Singh, aged 92, passed away after dealing with health issues for quite some time. AIIMS hospital, in a statement, has revealed that he was undergoing treatment for age-related diseases. At home, his condition worsened. Resuscitative measures began immediately, and at AIIMS, they could not revive him; he died at 9:51 PM.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Dr. Singh had been the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and played a crucial role in India's economic reforms as Finance Minister under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other prominent leaders visited the residence of the late Dr Manmohan Singh to pay their respects and offer condolences to his family.
PM Modi expressed his deep sorrow and praised Dr Singh's immense contribution to the nation's progress.
Dr Manmohan Singh's vision and integrity as a leader will forever remain etched in India's history," PM Modi said in a statement.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid his last respects, calling Dr Singh a statesman and a distinguished economist who played a pivotal role in shaping India's modern economic policies.
The Central government declared a seven-day national mourning period until January 1, 2025, in the honor of the great Dr Singh. A notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs declared to lower down the national flag to half-mast for all states and Union Territories and cancel all official entertainment programs during this period.
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