"Nation lost a great patriot, an exceptional scholar": Assam CM mourns demise of former PM Manmohan Singh

New Delhi [India], December 27 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday expressed grief over the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and recalled his long association with Dr Singh, highlighting his humility and unwavering commitment to social issues.
In a post on X, CM Himanta mourned the loss of a "great patriot, exceptional scholar, and fine statesman," offering his deepest condolences to Manmohan Singh's family and loved ones.
"I have had the privilege of knowing Dr Manmohan Singh ji since 1991, when he was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam- a state he represented for 28 years. Dr Sahab embodied humility and never surrendered to the trappings of power. In all my interactions with him, his simplicity and decency combined with his intellectual prowess always stood out. During his tenure as Prime Minister, I have had the opportunity to interact with him on several occasions regarding issues pertaining to Assam, and he always gave us a patient hearing and displayed a strong conviction towards social issues," he said.
"Coming from humble origins in post-partition India, he served the nation in several distinguished positions. A generation of Indians will always remember his pivotal role in ushering a free market economy and ending decades of regressive socialist policies. In his demise, the nation has lost a great patriot, an exceptional scholar, an unconventional politician and a fine statesman. My deepest condolences to Gursharan Madam, his family and well-wishers," the Assam CM added.
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.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and leaders across the political spectrum condoled Manmohan Singh's death.
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 Narsimha 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.
Manmohan Singh's government also introduced the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which later came to be known as MGNREGA.
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)