Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dies aged 92 – DW – 26.12.2024

Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, credited with turning his country into a global power, has died at the age of 92, current leader Narendra Modi said on Thursday.

India “mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders,” Modi posted on social media platform X shortly after news of Singh’s death broke.

“As prime minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives.”

Singh passed out at home on Thursday and was taken to a hospital in New Delhi, local media reported.

A statement from the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences said he could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at 21:51 local time (1621 UTC/GMT).

Singh received treatment for age-related ailments.

Rahul Gandhi pays tribute

“We have lost a mentor and a guide,” opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said in a statement, adding that Singh “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.”

“Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the greatest pride,” Gandhi said.

Born in 1932 in a village in what is now Pakistan, Singh studied economics, having won scholarships to attend both Cambridge, where he obtained a first in economics, and Oxford, where he completed his Ph.D.

Singh has served in several high-ranking civilian posts, served as central bank governor and held various positions in global agencies, including the United Nations. But he never held office until his appointment as prime minister in 2004.

India’s economic woes have reversed

Singh is considered the architect of the economic reforms that, over the next decade, opened up the world’s most populous country after a severe financial crisis.

Singh also sealed a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, which he said would help India meet its growing energy needs.

However, his coalition government faced a serious crisis of credibility in its second term, marred by allegations of widespread corruption, slowing growth and stubborn inflation.

His supporters say Singh’s major achievements include lifting millions of people out of poverty through social programs.

Singh has become a vocal critic of Modi’s economic policies and has more recently warned of the risks that rising communal tensions pose to India’s democracy.

mm/rmt (AFP, dpa)