courtesy: business today
Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India and the mind behind the country’s economic liberalisation, passed away at the age of 91. The man, who famously declared, “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come,” leaves behind a legacy of transformation that pulled India from the brink of economic collapse and placed it as a rising global power.
In July 1991, Indian economy was on the brink of collapse and was suffering from gravest financial crisis. During his maiden budget speech, Singh quoted Victor Hugo, announcing India’s path to economic liberalization. – “India is now wide awake. We shall prevail. We shall overcome.”
A scholar who turned politician, Singh’s integrity and intellect earned him leadership of India’s Congress-led UPA government for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014. Despite of Singh introducing some landmark social welfare programs like MNREGA, the Right to Education Act, Aadhaar, and Direct Benefit Transfers, yet his tenure was not without controversy. He was labelled a “weak Prime Minister” by the critics amidst the corruption scandals, however, Singh stood firm, remarking in 2014 – “I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media.”
In 1999, while reflecting to Indian politics, he had famously quoted Abraham Lincoln – “You can fool some people for all time, all people for some time, but not all people for all time.”
