Manmohan Singh Story : Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a successful economist and RBI Governor of India, is no longer among us. Dr. Manmohan Singh, a gentle and mild-natured person who said goodbye to the world at the age of 92, served the country in many important positions. Only a few moments have passed since his absence, but the country is remembering Singh, who maintained the liveliness of a great personality for his excellent contribution. There are many important milestones related to his life, which are very important to discuss. Singh was born on 26 September 1932 in a village named Gah near Peshawar to Gurmukh Singh Kohli and Amrit Kaur. His family had a business in Peshawar. When his mother passed away in his childhood, he learned childhood lessons under the shadow of his grandmother Jamna Devi. The school in Peshawar where Dr. Manmohan Singh studied is known by her name today. Let us take a look at all the facts related to him.

Manmohan Singh was born in undivided India

It is a different matter that that school was a part of India then and is a part of Pakistan now. In 15 years, Manmohan Singh had seen the partition of the country and the extent of massacre with his own eyes. After the partition, his family settled in Amritsar. He got admission in Hindu College, Amritsar and Manmohan Singh graduated in Economics. In those days, a graduate degree was considered quite high, but Manmohan Singh, who was very intelligent in studies, wanted to study more. From first to graduation, he was the topper in his class. To do his masters in Economics, Manmohan Singh went to the renowned Cambridge University and then got a PhD degree from Oxford University. Manmohan Singh had now become Dr. Manmohan Singh. After this, Dr. Manmohan Singh returned to India and started teaching in Punjab University.

Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Trade

Dr. Manmohan Singh was becoming famous as a young scholar economist and teacher, but his urge to learn took him to the United Nations where he worked for 3 years in UNCTAD, from 1966 to 1969. For the next two years, he taught at the world-renowned London School of Economics. Now, the news about Dr. Manmohan Singh was reaching the Delhi government. Lalit Narayan Mishra, who was the Commerce Minister of the country at that time, recognized Dr. Manmohan Singh's talent and made him an advisor to the Foreign Trade Ministry. This was Dr. Manmohan Singh's first experience of working with the government. In 1972, he was made the Chief Advisor of the Finance Ministry. In 1976, he became Finance Secretary, in 1980, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and in 1982, Governor of the Reserve Bank. As an economist, Dr. Manmohan Singh had become a well-known name not only in the country but also abroad. After the 1984 elections, Congress winning an absolute majority on its own was going to be a thing of history. When the government fell, Dr. Manmohan Singh also left.

Chandrashekhar became economic advisor in the government

In 1989, he started working as the Secretary General of a Geneva-based think tank. Dr. Manmohan Singh's new address was Geneva but only for a few days. Because he was about to return to India for the biggest economic change in the history of independent India. Dr. Manmohan Singh was called to India in 1990 and was given the post of economic advisor to the then Prime Minister Chandrashekhar. In March 1991, he was also appointed Chairman of UGC. It was a period of political turmoil. A few months later, Congress again got its Prime Minister under the leadership of PV Narasimha Rao.

When Narasimha Rao was forming his cabinet, one of his close officials PC Alexander advised him to appoint Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister. Dr. Manmohan Singh told in an interview that when he got the information that he was being made the Finance Minister of the country, he thought it was a joke. When he got a call from the PMO the next day at the time of swearing-in, he rushed to the swearing-in ceremony.

Accepted Narasimha Rao's challenge on the ruined economy

This was the time when India's economy was on the verge of collapse. The country was in huge debt. Red tape, bureaucracy and old methods had broken India's economic backbone. Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was now the country's finance minister, approached PM Narasimha Rao with a model that was going to change the country's economic picture forever. LPG means liberalization, privatization and globalization. Narasimha Rao said that if this model succeeds, both of us will get the credit for it, but if it fails, you will have to take all the responsibility. Dr. Manmohan Singh agreed. Narasimha Rao also knew that if there is any most capable person in India to fix the country's economic condition, it is Dr. Manmohan Singh. After this, rapid decisions were taken, the entire economic structure was changed, India's market was opened to the world. There was a lot of opposition to this too.

Daughter ostracized because of father's policies

Dr. Manmohan Singh's daughter, who was working in an NGO at that time, says that due to her father's policies, people in his office started boycotting him. He was not allowed to attend meetings. But the country and the world also saw that this policy changed the Indian market forever. The country's economic picture started improving. Dr. Manmohan Singh's image became famous all over the world as a revolutionary economist. Dr. Manmohan Singh decided that the country's economy will now move on this path. No matter which party forms the government. This was the reason that when the BJP government came to power in the next elections, the country's economic policy remained the same as made by Dr. Manmohan Singh. Even today India follows the same economic model. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government came to power in the country, Dr. Manmohan Singh was the leader of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha. Very few people remember this. At the same time, people are surprised that how Sonia Gandhi suddenly made Dr. Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister in 2004.

He became the Prime Minister of the country twice

Even if Dr. Manmohan Singh had not become the Prime Minister, India would have always remembered him as an economist. Dr. Manmohan Singh is included in the list of few Prime Ministers who completed their tenure as the Prime Minister of the country not once but twice. From Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Food, Aadhar Card, there are countless achievements that Dr. Manmohan Singh got as the Prime Minister. But, the same thing happened with the less talkative Dr. Manmohan Singh that someone else took the credit for the success and all the criticisms kept coming his way.

Manmohan Singh remained a gentleman

Dr. Manmohan Singh was a scholar but was not a master of words. He did not know how to give speeches like politicians. This was the reason that he contested Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi only once in his life in 1999 but had to face defeat by 30 thousand votes. The reason for his defeat was also his inexperience in political tricks. He neither collected donations in the name of elections nor did he allow any worker to collect money. Internal politics made him lose the elections but Dr. Manmohan Singh did not change his nature. He always remained a gentleman. Even after becoming the Prime Minister, a simple middle class man was alive inside him. Asim Arun, who was the security in-charge of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has shared a very interesting story on social media.

Aseem Arun writes-

"I was his bodyguard for almost three years from 2004. The SPG has the innermost security ring for the PM - the Close Protection Team, which I had the privilege of leading. AIG CPT is the person who can never stay away from the PM. If only one bodyguard can stay with him, it would be him. So it was my responsibility to stay with him like his shadow.

Maruti 800 was the former PM's dream car!

Dr. sahab had only one car of his own - Maruti 800, which used to be parked behind the shiny black BMW in the PM House. Manmohan Singh ji would repeatedly tell me - Aseem, I do not like to travel in this car, my car is this (Maruti). I would explain that Sir, this car is not for your luxury, its security features are such that the SPG has taken it. But whenever the convoy passed in front of Maruti, he would always look at it to his heart's content. As if repeating a resolution that I am a middle class person and it is my job to worry about the common man. The car worth crores belongs to the PM, my car is this Maruti.

He also faced criticism in his second term

In the last years of his second term as Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh had to face criticism, agitations, condemnation, and so much more. On one hand, people like Swami Ramdev, Arvind Kejriwal were protesting on the streets, while on the other hand, the opposition was making sharp attacks in the Parliament. Manmohan Singh, who speaks very little, always responded with his work, but when he spoke, that too became news. In the Parliament, the opposition under the leadership of Sushma Swaraj was constantly cornering Manmohan Singh. Sushma Swaraj has also been a sharp speaker. She attacked PM Singh with the lines of Shahab Jafri.

"Don't talk about this and that, tell me why the convoy was looted,

We have no complaint against the robbers, it is a question of your leadership…"

To answer Sushma, Manmohan Singh took the help of Allama Iqbal.

"I admit that I am not worthy of your sight,

You see my passion, see my wait…"

On hearing this sher, the entire House burst into laughter. Even Sushma Swaraj herself could not stop the smile on her face.

He was not a member of Parliament but still became the Finance Minister

It is amazing that when Dr. Manmohan Singh was made the Finance Minister in the Narasimha Rao cabinet in 1991, he was not a part of any House of Parliament. He was elected Rajya Sabha member for the first time in October 1991. After this, he became Rajya Sabha MP from Assam for 5 consecutive times. He also retired from politics as a Rajya Sabha MP. Dr. Manmohan Singh's last Rajya Sabha term ended on 3 April 2023. Many people were moved after watching his video of reaching Parliament on a wheelchair. Congress President Sonia Gandhi was again sent to Rajya Sabha on his seat. Sonia Gandhi was called Super Prime Minister during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister. Sonia Gandhi got the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by him.

Sonia Gandhi placed at the top

Manmohan Singh was senior to Sonia Gandhi in politics, age and experience. Whatever may have been the voices from outside, Sonia Gandhi always kept him at the highest level of respect and trust. It should not be forgotten that Sonia Gandhi had made Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister in 2004 in her place. While leaving, Dr. Manmohan Singh retired like a senior and handed over his place to Sonia Gandhi and disappeared from the scene with full dignity. Just like he lived till the age of 92, worked as a true son of Mother India, as a hero of revolutionary changes and departed silently. Once Dr. Manmohan Singh had said, "I hope history will do justice to me while evaluating me." Certainly, this country will always remember with gratitude Dr. Manmohan Singh, who made an immortal contribution to the history of independent India.