Manmohan Singh passes away: India bids farewell to visionary economist

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were among the top leaders who paid homage to former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his residence here on Friday Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present at Singhrsquos homeModi described his predecessorrsquos death as a big loss to the nation asserting that his commitment to the people and the countryrsquos development would always be respected Singh passed away on Thursday night at AIIMS Delhi He was 92President Draupadi Murmu pay their respectsThe Union Cabinet also condoled Singhrsquos passing and hailed him as an eminent statesman and a distinguished leader who left an imprint on national life The Centre has announced a sevenday State mourning as a mark of respectDraped in the Tricolour Singhrsquos body was brought to his 3 Motilal Nehru Road residencemdash the sprawling bungalow in Lutyensrsquo Delhi that served as his retirement abode for more than 10 yearsCongress chief Mallikarjun Kharge pay their respectsLeaders cutting across party lines paid their last respects to Singh in the presence of his wife Gursharan Kaur and other family members President Droupadi Murmu Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP president JP Nadda also paid their tributes RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale condoled his passing saying his contributions to Bharat would always be rememberedHaryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said Singhrsquos contribution to the development of the country will always be unforgettable Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann described Singhrsquos passing away as ldquoa big loss for the countryrdquoDelhi Chief Minister Atishi said that the country has not just lost a renowned economist but a leader whose erudition and dignity will always be remembered Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena stated that Singh was a visionary leader and his life was a ldquojourney of aspirational IndiardquoldquoThe demise of former prime minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh is an irreparable loss for the country It is impossible to put his qualities of wisdom and simplicity into wordsrdquo Former Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal posted on XNC president Farooq Abdullah expressed grief saying his biggest legacy was that he tried to keep India united and spread love across the nation Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said Singh will always be remembered as one of Indiarsquos finest prime ministers adding that he worked quietly yet profoundly for the countryrsquos progressBillionaire Gautam Adani Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and business tycoon Anil Ambani also paid tributes to Singh calling him the architect of economic reforms and one of the tallest leadersNagaland CM Neiphiu Rio described Singh as a ldquohumble visionaryrdquo who played a pivotal role in Indiarsquos economic advancement Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang described Singh him as a ldquovisionary leaderrdquo whose significant contributions to economic reforms and public service have left an indelible mark on the nationLast rites to be held todaySinghrsquos daughter will arrive in India postmidnight on Saturday Congress sources said adding that his mortal remains will be kept at AICC headquarters in Delhi for public viewing The party sources informed that the lsquolast darshanrsquo is scheduled for Saturday between 8 am and 10 am Singh will be cremated near Rajghat at the location where the last rites of Prime Ministers are performed on SaturdayGlobal envoys express condolencesEnvoys of several countries including Russia China the US and France on Friday expressed condolences over the passing away of Manmohan Singh describing the former prime minister as an ldquooutstanding leaderrdquo and hailing his commitment to the progress of IndiaIn a post on X the French Embassy in India said his leadership ldquobolstered Indiarsquos global standing and strengthened bonds with FrancerdquoldquoIt is a moment of poignant sorrow and grief for India and for Russia Dr Manmohan Singhrsquos contribution to our bilateral ties was immeasurablerdquo Russian envoy toIndia Denis Alipov said in a post on XUS ambassador Eric Garcetti remembered Singh as a leader ldquowho set in motion a historic chapter in USIndia relationsrdquoExpressing condolences in a post on X Chinese envoy Xu Feihong said ldquoDeeply saddened by the passing of former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh an outstanding leader who is widely revered by the Indian peoplerdquo The Embassy of Iran said Singh played a key role in fostering historic ties between the two countries Dec 26 Day Manmohan Singh diedlsquoReluctant PMrsquo UK honours ManmohanIndiarsquos ldquoreluctant prime ministerrdquo and the ldquoarchitect of economic reformsrdquo is how sections of the UK media have been honouring the legacy of Dr Manmohan Singh British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron took to social media to pay tribute to ldquoa great Prime Minister Finance Minister and global statesman who advanced Indiarsquos interests through bold economic reforms and played a key role in putting India in its rightful place on the world stage and stabilising the global economyrdquo ldquoThe UK will always be proud of his invaluable partnership with three UK Prime Ministers and proud of him as an alumnus of two of our great universities My thoughts and wishes are with his family and people of IndiardquoDiplomats extend tributesSri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his condolences in a heartfelt post on X extending sympathies to Singhrsquos family and his admirers worldwide ldquoOn behalf of the people of Sri Lanka and myself I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Republic of India Dr Manmohan Singhrsquos family and his countless admirers worldwiderdquo Soslashren Noslashrrelund KannikMarquardsen Minister Counsellor Trade Commercial amp Economic Affairs at the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi also offered his tribute emphasising Singhrsquos monumental role in Indiarsquos economic reforms ldquoIndia has lost a great man Singhrsquos work in the 90rsquos where he liberalised the economy and opened up the Indian market paved for foreign direct investmentrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever