As the country mourned the death of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26 at the age of 92, politicians across the spectrum gathered in the capital to pay their last respects to the leader.
Singh, one of India’s longest serving prime ministers, was accorded a state funeral on December 28 with full military honours at Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat crematorium, a public cremation ground. The union government also declared seven days of state mourning until January 1.
The former PM’s last rites have, however, become the centre of a political row as the Congress called it a “deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India”. The grand old party had demanded that the union government hold the funeral in a place where a memorial to Singh could be built.
As this played out, leading English newspapers devoted editorials to Singh’s legacy.
The Indian Express
The Indian Express remembered Singh as “the leader who saw the future”.
“Self-effacing, his genius lay in seizing opportunities and steering breakthroughs that changed the course of the nation. As Finance Minister, with the reforms of 1991, he dismantled four decades of the old economy, industrial licensing and state-led planning, opening up the country to the irreversible forces of liberalisation and globalisation. The reforms he initiated helped lift crores out of poverty, created a middle class that continues to shape the country’s economic and political future,” the editorial said.
While noting that Singh may have felt “cramped” with his relationship with Sonia Gandhi, The Indian Express said he “laid the foundational architecture of a modern welfare state”, even though there were “times when the remote control looked far from remote”.
The Financial Express
The Financial Express hailed Singh for bringing in key economic reforms and solving the balance of payment crisis.
“ Devaluing the rupee against the dollar by 18%, in two stages, was no easy task. Also, Singh realised that the Indian currency needed to be more market-determined and made it largely that by 1996. The dismantling of the licence raj, and the revamped industrial licensing policy, freed many industries from the shackles of regressive licensing controls. The earlier unhealthy regime that fostered monopolies was liberalised and many more businessmen were empowered.”
The Tribune
Calling Singh “a statesman for the ages,” The Tribune recounted the enactment of the Right to Information Act as the “among the greatest achievements of his
government.” The daily also shed light on Singh’s far-sighted approach on matters of foreign policy.
“At the international level, his visionary leadership propelled the India-US civil nuclear deal, which acted as a game-changer for strategic cooperation between the two nations. Their presently strong bilateral ties owe a lot to the efforts made by the Manmohan Singh government. And he wisely chose to avoid retaliation against Pakistan after India was rocked by the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008. This was not a sign of weakness; it was a pragmatic decision that prevented the two neighbours from plunging headlong into yet another war”.
The Hindu Businessline
The Hindu Businessline, in an editorial dated December 27, said Singh will be remembered for “decisively altering the direction and trajectory of the Indian economy after pulling it out of its dire mess in 1991”.
Yet his “acuity as an economic leader” was in stark contrast to his “lack of political skills and confidence”.
“With the masses, Singh lacked the persona to make a connect. Meanwhile, the government lost its way, as alliance partners cut deals in coal and telecom, bringing his government to disrepute even as Singh’s reputation was untarnished,” the editorial said. “He was increasingly regarded as a remote-controlled PM from ‘10, Janpath’, a weak leader of a rudderless government.”
Telangana Today
Telangana Today, in an editorial headlined “Gentle Sardar Manmohan Singh”, said Singh is remembered as an “astute and gentle statesman whose stature transcends the political divide”.
“In an era where politicians tend to claim credit for all good things that happen on their watch, here was an astoundingly accomplished leader preferring to leave the appraisal of his performance to future historians. This speaks volumes about the strength of his character and humility in the face of an unfair attack on his government, particularly the UPA-II, for the alleged policy paralysis and corruption scandals,” it said.
Madhyamam
Madhyamam’s editorial today said that even those who “sank him [Singh] in scandals have turned into his admirers”. Citing his achievements – the MGNREGA, Right to Information Act, Right to Education Act, minority benefits – the newspaper said Singh was a “visionary and socially committed ruler” who will “achieve immortality in Indian history”.
“Though the accusation of economic mismanagement was levelled against Manmohan Singh himself, a decade later, it was proven to be false. The dismal performance of the Modi government that followed established the relevance of Manmohan’s reforms,” it said.
The Telegraph
The Telegraph in Kolkata said Singh’s performance and behaviour shows he “was definitely not an accidental prime minister”.
“The disproportionate emphasis on some dimensions of Singh’s character – his gentleness and courtesy over, say, his dogged determination – in the public domain carries political undertones. Some of the unjust tweaking was necessary to varnish the character of the man who succeeded Singh as prime minister. But an objective and comprehensive analysis of Singh as a person and a leader would certainly prove that he, much like a polymath, was a man of many different – desirable – shades,” it said.
The Times of India
The Times of India struck a more critical note in its editorial yesterday. It said obituaries of Singh focused on his decency, reforms and “hidden political savvy”, but tended to bypass Singh’s “frustration”. The editorial said Singh “spent most of UPA-2 (2009-2014) as a PM unable to work on what he saw as a priority: the faltering economy”.
“This can hardly be more relevant when every party is looking to devise a new cash transfer scheme and no party wants to talk about growth politics,” it said. “...Remember, very few leaders, even those that start well, leave office on a high – Singh didn’t. When you still have time to change this outcome, don’t waste it on politics as usual.”
Deccan Herald
Singh represented “calmer and more decent times” , said Deccan Herald in its editorial which remembered the leader for his “grace and goodwill.”
“He was a Nehruvian in spirit, with a modern, rational, and secular vision anchored in a saner world which is now fading. History will be kinder to him than he thought the media of his time was. Manmohan Singh will have a place in it as a great Prime Minister, a spot he earned,” it said.
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