Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has died at age 92. He was known for two major achievements: modernising India’s economy and creating an important nuclear agreement with the United States.
Singh was taken to a hospital in New Delhi last Thursday night after suddenly passing out at home. The hospital shared that despite immediate medical help both at his house and the emergency room, they couldn’t save him. He passed away at 9:51 PM while receiving treatment for health issues related to his age.
Singh was a quiet, highly educated leader who served as Prime Minister for 10 years and was known for being honest. Sonia Gandhi, whose husband (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) had been killed, chose Singh to be Prime Minister in 2004.
However, his good reputation was tainted when people in his government were accused of stealing money.
Read Also: 18 Indian billionaires who built their wealth in Africa
“Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM.”
Singh won a second term as Prime Minister from 2009-2014, but this period was troubled by money scandals, especially around the 2010 Commonwealth Games. These problems led to his party losing badly in the 2014 election to Narendra Modi’s BJP party, which focused on Hindu nationalism. After leaving office, Singh stayed out of the public eye.
Modi, who took over from Singh in 2014, praised him on social media: “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives.” Modi noted that Singh came from a humble background to become “one of India’s most distinguished leaders” and said Singh showed “wisdom and humility” when speaking in Parliament.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
