BENGALURU: Former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda here on Friday expressed his deep sorrow over the demise of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, describing him as a leader who effectively brought India out of severe economic distress during his tenure as finance minister.
At a condolence meeting held at the JDS state office – JP Bhavan, Gowda recalled his first meeting with Dr Singh in 1991 during his initial tenure in the Lok Sabha. “As the finance minister in PV Narasimha Rao’s government, Singh took several measures to stabilise the country’s economic situation during a period of extreme crisis. India had pledged 130 tonnes of gold. It was a grim scenario, but Singh managed his responsibilities with remarkable competence,” he remarked.
Gowda admitted that he had criticised Singh and questioned many of his policies. “However, his introduction of economic reforms – liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation – brought substantial change and progress to the country. The policies attracted significant foreign direct investment to India. It was a monumental development. Before becoming finance minister, he had gained invaluable global experience, making him an exceptional economist,” he said.
“Singh was a simple, honest and sincere individual. Beyond political affiliations, we remember him for his integrity. He was a statesman and a senior leader who served the country for decades. His passing is a great personal loss for me. May God grant his soul eternal peace and his family the courage to endure this sorrow,” he said.
On behalf of him and JDS, his son and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy will pay respects to Singh in New Delhi, he said. A posse of party leaders, including former minister CS Puttaraju, Venkatarao Nadagouda, MLC KA Thippeswamy, HM Ramesh Gowda, former MLA Lingesh and party workers, attended the meeting.
DKS writes to BU to set up research Centre on Singh
KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar wrote to Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar and the Bengaluru University vice-chancellor to initiate steps to set up a research centre to study the economic policies of former PM Manmohan Singh. Singh was one of the world’s greatest economists.
His globalisation and liberalisation policies, and discipline in governance during his tenure as Prime Minister resulted in India becoming economically strong, he said. The Right to Information Act (RTI), Right to Education Act (RTE), Food Security Act, Aadhaar and many other laws and schemes implemented during his tenure as prime minister are role models for the world, he said.
Future generations need to be informed about his economic policies and country’s reform measures and a detailed study needs to be done on Dr Singh and his governance and economic policies, he opined. “In the honour and memory of late Dr Manmohan Singh, I hereby suggest that necessary steps be taken to set up a research centre at Bengaluru University,” he said.