Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of economic reforms, has died at the age of 92

Manmohan Singh, who was described as a “reluctant king” in his first term as prime minister and who died on Thursday at the age of 92, was one of India’s most successful leaders.

Singh, the first Sikh to lead his nation, was prime minister from 2004 to 2014, serving a rare two terms. He was under care for age-related medical conditions.

He is credited with guiding India towards unprecedented economic growth and lifting hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty. He went on to serve a rare second term.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “India mourns the loss of one of its most prominent leaders.”

He praised the economist-turned-politician’s body of work.

Born to a poor family in the part of British-ruled India that is now Pakistan, Singh studied by candlelight to win a place at Cambridge University before heading to Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the role of exports and free trade in the Indian economy. .

He became a respected economist, then governor of India’s central bank and an adviser to the government, but had no clear plans for a political career when he was suddenly chosen to become finance minister in 1991.

During that period until 1996, Singh was the architect of reforms that rescued India’s economy from a severe balance-of-payments crisis, and promoted deregulation and other measures that opened the isolated country to the world.

He famously quoted Victor Hugo in his maiden Budget speech, where he said: “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come,” before adding: “The emergence of India as a major economic power in the world is one of them.” “.

Singh’s ascension to the position of Prime Minister in 2004 was completely unexpected.

Sonia Gandhi, who led the center-left Congress party, asked him to take over the job. She was Italian by birth, and feared that Hindu nationalist opponents would use her assets to attack the government if she took over the leadership of the country.

In an unprecedented period of economic growth, Singh’s government shared the spoils of the country’s newfound wealth and introduced social welfare schemes such as the Job Opportunity Program for the rural poor.

In 2008, his government also reached a landmark agreement that allowed peaceful trade in nuclear energy with the United States for the first time in three decades, paving the way for strong relations between New Delhi and Washington.

But his efforts to further open up the Indian economy were often thwarted by political wrangling within his party and demands made by coalition partners.

“History will be kinder to me.”

While he was widely respected by other world leaders, at home Singh always had to resist the perception that Sonia Gandhi was the real power in government.

She is the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, whose family has dominated Indian politics since independence from Britain in 1947, and remains the leader of the Congress Party and often makes key decisions.

Singh, known for his simple lifestyle and honest reputation, was not seen as corrupt. But he came under attack for failing to crack down on members of his government as a series of scandals erupted during his second term, sparking mass protests.

The final years of his premiership saw India’s growth story, which he helped engineer, falter, with global economic turmoil and slow government decision-making weighing on investment sentiment.

In 2012, his government was reduced to a minority after the Congress Party’s largest ally withdrew from its coalition in protest against the entry of foreign supermarkets.

Two years later, the BJP was defeated by Narendra Modi’s Congress, a strongman who promised to end economic gridlock, clean up graft, and bring inclusive growth to the hinterland.

But in a press conference a few months before leaving office, Singh insisted he had done his best.

He said: “I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or the opposition parties in Parliament.”

Singh is survived by his wife and three daughters.