Manmohan Singh stood firmly for secular, democratic values as PM: CPI (M)

New Delhi [India], December 27 (ANI): The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday mourned the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who, it said, stood firmly for secular and democratic values during his tenure as prime minister.
"The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) mourns the passing away of Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister and distinguished economist.Dr. Manmohan Singh during his ten-year tenure as Prime Minister stood firmly for secular and democratic values," CPI(M) said in a statement.
"He adopted policies which he believed were in the interests of the country. He was a leader of unquestioned integrity. The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt condolence to his wife Gursharan Kaur, and his daughters," it added.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat said that through the passing away of Manmohan Singh, the country has lost an eminent economist who served in government in various capacities.
"He (Manmohan Singh) as PM, upheld secular and democratic values in contrast to the present situation...nobody can question his sincerity and dedication to serving the interest of the country. Therefore, it is a great loss for the nation," Karat said.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his last respects to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in Delhi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister and BJP National President JP Nadda also paid their last respects to Manmohan Singh. Congress leaders, including KC Venugopal, were also present at the former PM's residence.
Manmohan Singh passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, on Thursday evening at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. He had a sudden loss of consciousness at home after which he was rushed to the AIIMS Delhi.
The mortal remains of the former PM will be kept at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi for public viewing. As per the Congress party sources, the 'last darshan' will be scheduled for Saturday between 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932. Apart from being an economist, Manmohan Singh served as Reserve Bank of India governor from 1982-1985. He was the 13th PM of India with his tenure from 2004-2014 and was the longest-serving PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Serving as the finance minister of India in PV Narasimha Rao's government, Singh has been given credit for economic liberalisation in the country in 1991. The reforms made the Indian economy more accessible to foreign investors, which increased FDI and reduced government control. It greatly contributed to the country's economic growth.
The Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed in 2005 under the Manmohan Singh government, which made the transparency of information between the government and the public better.
Dr Manmohan Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha earlier this year after serving for 33 years. (ANI)