Dr. Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India, led a life of simplicity and integrity. His capabilities were the reason the Congress party entrusted him with the position of Prime Minister. Before that, he had served as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and as Finance Minister in the Narasimha Rao government. When he took office as Finance Minister, the world was facing an economic crisis, but his leadership and expertise as an economist prevented India from feeling the full brunt of the recession.
During his tenure as Prime Minister, Dr. Singh never sought to engage in political maneuvering, but regrettably, after his death, political parties have been attempting to use his name for their own agendas, which is a matter of sadness for his family. Dr. Singh was respected not only in India but also internationally. He was the only Indian Prime Minister to be welcomed with a red carpet in the U.S. Congress. Foreign universities offer scholarships in his name.
To honor his legacy, a memorial should be established in every city of India, and an international university should be named after him. Some suggest that he should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, but Harpal Singh Sarna, son of S. Parmjit Singh Sarna, believes that the Bharat Ratna would be too small for him; he deserves a global award like the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is surprising that today, Akali Dal members are playing politics with Dr. Singh’s name, leveling various accusations against the central government. The Akalis should have nominated Dr. Singh for the Rajya Sabha during their rule in Punjab. However, expecting such a gesture from them might be foolish, as when the Congress party nominated Dr. Singh to contest the Lok Sabha elections from a Sikh-majority seat in Delhi, the Akalis did everything in their power to defeat him.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Khalsa Vox or its members.
