SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ANNA UNIVERSITY SEXUAL ASSAULT: WHIPLASH PROTEST BY ANNAMALAI ‘TSUNAMI READY EQUIPS PEOPLE’ P7 SENSEX 78,699.07p226.59 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 28°C and 17°C respectively. NIFTY P4 23,813.40p63.20 ` vs $ 85.80 MCG TEST: INDIA STRUGGLE ON DAY 2 S KOREA’S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IMPEACHES ACTING PRESIDENT P9 P12 SILVER 1,00,000 GOLD 78,740.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 73.41p0.56 Dr Manmohan Singh to take last journey today RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY President Murmu, VP, Prime Minister lead nation in paying homage to former PM Max. 71% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 53% TEMPERATURE Max: 28.5˚C SUN RISES 06:15 hrs MOON RISES 03:46 hrs NEW DELHI, 27 DECEMBER Min: 17.3˚C SUN SETS 17:01 hrs MOON SETS 14:36 hrs I New Moon on 31 December THUMBNAILS People sit around a bonfire to keep themselves warm during rain on a cold winter day, in Gurugram on Friday. n ANI Jaishankar meets top US officials, Indian consul generals in US: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had fruitful meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and consul generals of India in the US. Mr Jaishankar is on a five-day visit to the US to meet top US officials and some of the key aides of President-elect Donald Trump. ndia will bid a final farewell to its 14th Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Saturday. The former Prime Minister's final journey will start from Congress headquarters in the national capital to the cremation ground at 9.30 am tomorrow. Manmohan Singh, the country’s 14th Prime Minister and one of its most renowned economists, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national Capital on Thursday night at the age of 92. In a post on X, Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said Singh's mortal remains will be kept at his residence 3, Motilal Nehru Road, New Delhi on Friday for the public to offer their condolences. Mr Venugopal informed that at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Singh's mortal remains will be taken to AICC HQ and the public and Congress workers will have the opportunity to offer their tributes between 8.30 a.m-9.30 a.m. on Saturday. "Dr. Singh’s final journey to the heavenly abode will commence from AICC HQ to the cremation ground at 9.30 am tomorrow," the Congress General Secretary further said in the post. The former Prime Minister will be accorded a state funeral. On the day of the funeral, a half-day holiday will be declared in all the Central Government offices and CPSUs. After the news broke of Singh’s demise at AIIMS last night, streams of tributes and condolence messages started pouring in. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi pays her last respects to the mortal remains of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 92, at his residence in New Delhi on Friday. n ANI Narendra Modi led the nation in paying homage to the former Prime Minister. The President visited the residence of the former Prime Minister and paid her last respects to him. She also offered condolences to his family members. Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s Wayanad MP When soft-spoken Dr Singh asserted himself in national interest ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 27 DECEMBER Everyone is heaping praise on Dr Manmohan Singh as a softspoken and mild-mannered technocrat-turned-politician who unleashed far-reaching reforms in the country but what is rarely talked about is how the former Prime Minister acted tough and asserted himself in the national interest when the situation demanded. In June 2009, soon after the UPA's victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Singh went to Yekaterinburg in Russia to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. On the margins of the summit, he also had a bilateral meeting with Asif Ali Zardari, who was then the President of Pakistan. Zardari must have expected a cordial meeting with an Indian leader known for his mannerism and cordial nature. However, Zardari was taken aback and fumbled for words when Singh bluntly told him: “I am happy to meet you, but my mandate is to tell you that the territory of Pakistan must not be used for terrorism against India.” The meeting took place a few months after the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The Indo-US nuclear deal was the crowning glory of Singh's leadership. During his first term, the former PM became convinced that the deal was in India's best interests. Singh, who was running a coalition UPA government, faced stiff opposition to the pact from the Left parties, which were supporting his government. However, he refused to budge on his stand and said he was prepared to sacrifice his government but not the deal. Singh was able to convince some of the UPA allies who dropped their opposition to the nuclear deal. But the Left parties were adamant and withdrew support to the government. The Samajwadi Party came to the rescue and the UPA government won the trust vote in the Lok Sabha. This reporter, who extensively travelled with Singh on his overseas visits, also saw his soft side. On 26 September 2004, Singh was returning from New York after attending the UN General Assembly. The Air India special aircraft was decorated with balloons and flowers and there was a cake in the journalists' enclosure. The journalists were told that the PM would come and cut the cake. However, suddenly the Air India staff started the preparations for cutting the cake themselves. The media personnel were taken aback when they were told that the PM wasn’t coming and had told the Air India staff to cut the cake and offer it to everyone on board the plane. Some of the vocal women journalists were agitated and started wondering why the PM can't personally come. This was conveyed to Singh. As soon as he heard this, Singh rushed to the media enclosure and was quite apologetic. He said he never celebrates his birthday since he doesn't know the date when he was born in a poor family at Gah village (now in Pakistan). His parents also hardly remembered his date of birth. Whatever date they gave for his admission in a school became his date of birth. He said he had been told that Air India has arranged a cakecutting ceremony and that he told them that he doesn't celebrate his birthday and asked them to cut the cake and serve it to everyone. He said he was sorry if he had hurt anyone. Manmohan Singh: The tenant who became PM ABHIJIT DEB GUWAHATI, 27 DECEMBER A modest two-floor house in Guwahati’s Sarumotoria locality stands as a silent witness to an extraordinary chapter in India’s political history. This house once bore the address: “Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India.” Long before he became India’s 14th Prime Minister, Singh, a resident of Punjab, became a tenant at this property, belonging to Hemoprova Saikia, the wife of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteshwar Saikia. Singh officially rented the house in 1991, the year he was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. Hemoprova Saikia once revealed that Singh consistently paid his rent in advance, often sending cheques well ahead of time, even during his tenure as Prime Minister. His impeccable integrity and humility left an indelible impression on the Saikia family. “Till his last tenure in 2019, he remained a tenant in our family home. Whenever voting took place, he would come here and cast his vote,” Hemoprova Saikia reminisced. Singh’s relationship with Assam extended beyond his tenancy. Representing the state in the Rajya Sabha from 1991 to 2019, he was deeply committed to its development. Debabrata Saikia, son of Hiteshwar Saikia, credited him with initiating significant projects that transformed Assam and the broader North East region. “Many of these projects were later completed during the BJP-led NDA’s tenure, but their foundations were laid during Singh’s time as Prime Minister and Finance Minister,” Saikia told The Statesman. As Finance Minister in 1991, Singh’s economic reforms revitalised India’s economy, indirectly benefitting Assam’s financial landscape. Later, as Prime Minister, he played a pivotal role in addressing Assam’s challenges. One notable decision was the one to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2005 during the UPA government. While the process culminated in the controversial 2018 NRC that excluded 19.06 lakh applicants, Singh’s initial efforts demonstrated his commitment to resolving Assam’s vexed foreigner issue. Singh shared a strong rapport with Tarun Gogoi, Assam’s longest-serving Chief Minister, who led the state from 2001 to 2016. Together, they worked to bring stability and development to Assam during a period marked by insurgency and economic challenges. Gogoi’s administration, supported by Singh’s policies at the Centre, witnessed significant progress in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Despite his unwavering dedication, Singh faced criticism from opposition parties in Assam, who accused him of neglecting the state. However, his tenure was marked by substantial contributions that often went unacknowledged in the cacophony of political rhetoric. Priyanka Vadra also paid floral tributes to the late Prime Minister. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi placed a wreath at his mortal remains wrapped in the Tricolour and offered prayers there. In his condolence message, Rahul Gandhi said: “Manmohan Singh Ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs Kaur and the family. I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride." Vice-President Dhankhar and Dr Sudesh Dhankhar also paid their final respects to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence in New Delhi. They conveyed their profound condolences to Singh’s family members, acknowledging his enduring legacy and invaluable contributions to the nation. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and JP Nadda, and several prominent politicians including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, paid homage to Singh at his residence. Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi also passed a condolence resolution in the memory of former PM Manmohan Singh. ‘Dr Singh’s life teaches future generations how to rise above adversity and achieve great heights’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 27 DECEMBER Paying tributes to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the departed leader's life teaches future generations how to rise above adversity and achieve great heights. PM Modi paid tributes to Singh at his residence on Friday. He said: “India will forever remember his contribution to our nation.” Expressing deep sorrow over the passing of Singh in a video message from New Delhi, Mr Modi remarked that Singh's demise is a significant loss for the nation. The Prime Minister said achieving success in every field of life is not an ordinary feat and Singh was an achiever despite having lost much after he came to India during the partition. “Dr Singh's life teaches future generations how to rise above adversity and achieve great heights,” he said.