New Delhi : India feels the absence of a PM with the depth of Manmohan Singh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday as he wished the former prime minister on his birthday.
Singh, who headed the UPA coalition government between 2004 and 2014, turned 88 on Saturday.
“India feels the absence of a PM with the depth of Dr Manmohan Singh. His honesty, decency and dedication are a source of inspiration for us all,” Gandhi said.
“Wishing him a very happy birthday and a lovely year ahead,” the former Congress chief tweeted with the hashtag ‘HappyBirthdayDrMMSingh’.
The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, said a dedicated leader’s primary aim is always to eradicate the worst evils that plague the society in the soonest and surest possible way.
“Today, we celebrate former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s commitment towards the overall well-being of each Indian,” the party said.
In his journey towards greatness, he took a billion people along, the Congress said in another tweet.
“One of the most competent world leaders, Dr Manmohan Singh’s vision for our nation is uncompromising. India is forever indebted to this great son for leading her through highs & lows,” the party tweeted.
Born on September 26, 1932, Dr Manmohan Singh served as the 13th Prime Minister of India between 2004 and 2014 after the UPA defeated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. The economist served as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2004.
Currently, he is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
Singh was the first Sikh prime minister who served the country for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014. At present, he is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
Singh was born in 1932 in Gah region of Punjab, now in Chakwal District of Pakistan, to Sardar Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur. He usually says, “I really don’t know my birthday. This is the date mentioned in my school records.”
He completed his studies from Hindu College, Amritsar and graduated from Panjab University. After completing his MA, he went to London’s Cambridge University for higher education. He worked in the Ministry of Commerce as an Economic Advisor in 1971 and as the Chief Advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972.
Singh has also held the post of Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, and later Governor of Reserve Bank before serving as the Finance Minister of India from 1991-1996.
