Manmohan Singh's life, work profoundly shaped India's destiny: CWC

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday paid glowing tributes to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, saying he was a towering figure in India's political and economic landscape whose contributions transformed the country and earned him respect worldwide. 

In the condolence resolution passed at the meeting, the CWC mourned the loss of a "true statesman" whose life and work have profoundly shaped the destiny of India. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others met here at the AICC headquarters for a meeting of the CWC to pay homage to Singh.

Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, died at AIIMS, Delhi, late on Thursday. He was 92.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters. 

"Dr. Singh was a towering figure in India's political and economic landscape, whose contributions transformed the country and earned him respect worldwide. As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, Dr. Singh was the architect of India's economic liberalization," the CWC resolution read.

With unmatched foresight, he initiated a series of reforms that not only saved the nation from a balance-of-payments crisis but also opened the doors to global markets, it said.

"Through his policies of deregulation, privatization, and the encouragement of foreign investment, he laid the foundation for India's rapid economic growth. Under his stewardship, India emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, a testament to his brilliance and vision," the CWC said. 

As the 13th prime minister of India, Singh led the country with a sense of calm determination and exceptional wisdom and his tenure was marked by sustained economic growth, global recognition and social progress, it said.

"He (Singh) steered the nation through the challenges of the global financial crisis in 2008 with strategic measures that shielded India from its worst effects. His leadership saw remarkable initiatives like MGNREGA, Right to Education, the historic Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Deal, National Food Security Act, Land Acquisition Act, Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, and the 93rd Constitutional Amendment that advanced social justice for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs through Article 15(5)," it said.

Singh also championed the Right to Information (RTI) Act to enhance transparency, the Forest Rights Act to empower tribal communities and contributed to achieving the highest GDP growth rate during his tenure, the CWC condolence resolution said.

"Dr. Singh's dedication to inclusive growth, international diplomacy, and economic modernization strengthened India's position in the global arena, while simultaneously focusing on the welfare of he common man. His legacy as a compassionate, reformist leader who prioritized stability and development will forever be etched in India's history," the CWC said.

Beyond his contributions as a politician, Singh was a respected academician, whose career as an economist helped shape India's policies and direction, the resolution said.

"His scholarly work as an economist and his service at institutions like the United Nations and the Reserve Bank of India laid the groundwork for many of the economic reforms he later championed as a policymaker," it said.

The CWC members also paid floral tributes to him at the party's headquarters.