Gentle in manner, resolute in convictions: Sonia Gandhi pens emotional note for Dr. Manmohan Singh

New Delhi, December 28 (IANS) Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) president Sonia Gandhi mourned the demise of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as her ‘personal loss’ and described him as her ‘friend, philosopher and guide’.

Remembering the values and principles of Dr. Manmohan Singh, she said that he was so gentle in his manner and yet so resolute in his deeply held convictions that the Congress party will always be ‘proud of and remain grateful’ to have a leader like him.

Dr. Manmohan Singh died of age-related illnesses at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday night. He was 92.

Sharing a small yet deeply emotional note, the Rajya Sabha MP wrote: “For me, Dr Manmohan Singh’s death is a deeply personal loss. He was my friend, philosopher and guide.

To spend any time with him, was to come away enlightened by his knowledge and sagacity, moved by his honesty and integrity, and awed by his genuine humility.”

She said that Dr. Singh served the country with ‘all his heart and mind’ and his commitment to social justice, secularism and democratic values remained deep and unwavering, throughout his life.

“In Dr Manmohan Singh’s passing, we have lost a leader who was the epitome of wisdom, nobility and humility, who served our country with all his heart and mind. A luminous and beloved guiding light for the Congress party, his compassion and vision transformed and empowered the lives of millions of Indians.”

She reiterated Dr. Manmohan Singh’s contributions in the country’s progress and said that his passing away leaves behind a void in our national lives that can never be filled.

“We in the Congress Party, and the people of India will forever be proud and grateful that we had a leader like Dr Manmohan Singh whose contributions to India’s progress and development are immeasurable,” said the former Congress president.

Further, taking pride in his endearing personality, Sonia wrote, “Respected and admired by leaders and scholars all over the world, he was hailed as a statesman of immense wisdom and stature. Dr

.Manmohan Singh brought brilliance and distinction to every high office that he held. And he brought pride and honour to India.”

Congress chief Kharge writes to PM Modi, seeks site for Dr. Manmohan Singh’s memorial

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the last rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh be conducted at a location where a memorial can be established.

Kharge’s letter followed a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, during which he discussed the possibility of setting up a memorial for Dr. Singh, a two-term Prime Minister deeply revered by the people of India.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away at 92 due to age-related health issues, served as the Prime Minister for two terms during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2014. He had been in poor health in recent months.

“Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh’s last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India,” Kharge said in a letter shared by the Congress on X.

“This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former prime ministers at the very place of their funerals,” the Congress president added.

Kharge said Dr. Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.

The Congress chief further wrote: “Dr Singh’s erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.”

Kharge said: “Dr. Singh’s wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama’s words when as the US president, he mentioned that ‘whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him’.

“When the nation was in the throes of grave economic crisis, it was Dr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability… Coming from a humble background and having suffered the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world.”

“In view of the foregoing, I hope and trust that befitting the stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, the above request to have the funeral of Dr. Manmohan Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded,” Kharge concluded in his letter to PM Modi.