HYDERABAD: Demanding Bharat Ratna for former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday urged the Centre to rise above partisan considerations and honour the late leader. He also called for the establishment of a Knowledge Centre to carry forward Manmohan’s work.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating a statue of the late prime minister at Wipro Circle in the Financial District here, Revanth said the statue should have been erected in Delhi. He appealed to all MPs from Telangana to raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament.
Likening the partnership between then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan to that of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he said the two had helped fulfil Telangana’s long-standing aspiration by signing the legislation granting statehood to the region. “By signing the bill to grant statehood to Telangana, they helped realise the long-held aspiration of the region. Patel, along with Nehru, gave us freedom with Police Action. Telangana will always remember them,” he said.
Revanth credited former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan with introducing liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies and bringing political stability at a time when India’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen to around Rs 100 crore and the country was facing political uncertainty.
Dignitaries at unveiling: Manmohan an inspiration
Revanth said that Manmohan chose to return to India despite having better career opportunities abroad and went on to serve the country as an economic adviser, RBI governor and prime minister.
Revanth said Manmohan had not received the recognition he deserved and described his life as an inspiration. Having arrived in India as a refugee from Pakistan during Partition, Manmohan studied at premier institutions, including Oxford, before serving the country in several capacities.
“It is only natural that his statue is being installed in a place which has institutions that contribute 49% to the state’s economy and 5% to the nation’s economy. So it was considered justifiable that his statue was installed in this region,” he said.
Revanth also credited Manmohan and the UPA government led by Sonia Gandhi with introducing several measures for vulnerable sections, including the Right to Information Act, the Right to Education Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which guaranteed 100 days of work to rural households.
He also referred to the 2013 land acquisition law, which, he said, for the first time formally recognised the social impact of displacement and loss of livelihoods, provided for consent in cases of acquisition and mandated monetary compensation for those displaced from their villages.
Retired Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy described Manmohan as a developmental economist who understood that higher GDP and economic growth alone could not strengthen political and democratic institutions. He said Manmohan recognised the need to strengthen these institutions so that the benefits of development reached people and helped lift them out of poverty.
“He realised that people need to be given education and health to empower them. Manmohan Singh had civic sense. We rarely see such PMs,” he said.
Former Chief Justice of India NV Ramana credited Manmohan’s economic reforms for much of the development witnessed by the country, saying the Financial District itself was a product of those changes. He said establishing a park in his memory was an idea that reflected foresight.
Recalling that a prominent magazine had described Manmohan as an “economic freedom fighter” who liberated the Indian economy, Ramana said Manmohan had stood by the introduction of NREGA despite opposition from some Congress leaders who feared it would create a shortage of labour.
“When a member of our embassy was insulted in the US, the protection for their embassy in India was withdrawn. But now, even when our PM is being insulted, our political parties are not coming forward to condemn them. He put institutions over individuals, the Constitution over political expediency and public service over private (interests),” Ramana said.
Recalling his own interactions with Manmohan, Ramana said the former prime minister had declined a personal meeting when Ramana sought one after becoming Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and later a Supreme Court judge, but had done so gently, reflecting his humility and regard for probity in public life.
Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said the memorial was intended to acquaint Gen Z and Gen Alpha with Manmohan’s contribution to the country.
“The park is indicative of the work of Manmohan Singh as a bureaucrat and finance minister in steering economic reforms that helped make India the third biggest economy globally. We are seeing the fruits of the decisions on liberalisation and privatisation,” he said.
