News Analysis India

Tag: Manmohan Singh

  • Ex-PM Manmohan Singh diagnosed with dengue, condition improving: AIIMS official

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has been diagnosed with dengue but his health condition is improving, AIIMS officials said Saturday.

    The 89-year-old Congress leader was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here Wednesday evening after he complained of weakness following a fever.

    “He has been diagnosed with dengue but his platelet count is now increasing and his condition is improving,” an AIIMS official said Saturday.

    Singh has been admitted to a private ward in the cardio-neuro centre of the hospital and is under the care of a team of cardiologists led by Dr Nitish Naik.

    Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met Singh on Thursday and enquired about his health.

    A row erupted after Mandaviya’s visit as he allegedly took a photographer with him while visiting the former prime minister.

    Manmohan Singh’s daughter, Daman Singh, had hit out at Mandaviya for getting a photographer against the wishes of the family.

    Daman Singh told ThePrint that her mother was very upset because a photographer had entered the room along with the minister.

    But when she insisted that the photographer leave the room, “she was completely ignored”.

    “She was very upset. My parents are trying to cope in a difficult situation. They are elderly people. Not animals in a zoo,” Daman Singh said.

  • Congress slams Mandaviya for ‘walking in with photographer’ while visiting Manmohan Singh at AIIMS

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday slammed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for allegedly getting a photographer while visiting former prime minister Manmohan Singh at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, saying that for the BJP people everything is about a “photo op”.

    The party also demanded that the health minister apologise.

    The Congress’ attack came after former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s daughter, Daman Singh, accused the minister of getting a photographer against the wishes of the family.

    Daman Singh told ThePrint that her mother was very upset because a photographer had entered the room along with the minister.

    But when she insisted that the photographer leave the room, “she was completely ignored”.

    “She was very upset. My parents are trying to cope in a difficult situation. They are elderly people. Not animals in a zoo,” Daman Singh said.

    Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said for the BJP people everything is a “photo op”.

    “Everything is a ‘Photo Op’ for BJP.

    Shame on health minister, who made a visit to meet former PM in AIIMS, a ugly ‘PR Stunt’,” he said in a tweet.

    “This is negation of every ethical norm, Breach of ex-PM’s privacy, insult of established tradition, reflects absence of basic decency. Apologise now!” Surjewala tweeted.

    Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, “Photo op is the hallmark of the Modi government”.

    Congress leader Manickam Tagore said the minister’s actions were a “serious breach of privacy” and asked why Mandviya walked in with cameras.

    “When former PM Vajpayee was in hospital whether we got pictures from AIIMS? It’s crime @crpfindia must answer? AIIMS must answer?” Tagore tweeted.

    Tagore said he will write to President Ram Nath Kovind to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers to stop these “petty things”.

    Another senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said, “I know you all are concerned about the health of former PM Manmohan Singh but kindly do stop sharing photos of him from his hospital bed. It’s invasion of his and his family’s privacy and not good conduct in any way.”

    Congress leader Salman Anees Soz said that when the Union Health Minister visited Manmohan Singh at AIIMS, his photographer went inside over the objections of the family.

    “How distasteful is this propaganda regime?” he said.

    Daman Singh said her parents had expressly insisted that visitors be restricted because her father is suffering from dengue and his immunity is low, and there is the risk of infection.

    The former prime minister had contracted COVID-19 in April, at the height of the second wave in Delhi, despite two doses of the vaccine.

    “It was nice of the health minister to visit and express his concern,” Daman Singh said, adding, “However, my parents were in no state to be photographed at the time.

    ” Manmohan Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Wednesday evening after he complained of weakness following fever.

    The 89-year-old former prime minister has been admitted to a private ward in the cardio-neuro centre of the hospital and is under the care of a team of cardiologists led by Dr Nitish Naik.

  • Rahul Gandhi visits AIIMS, inquires about ex-PM Manmohan Singh’s health from doctors

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi inquired about the health of former prime minister Manmohan Singh at the AIIMS here on Thursday.

    Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Wednesday evening after he suffered from fever and weakness.

    Gandhi met the former prime minister’s wife, Gursharan Kaur, and also spoke to the doctors attending on Singh.

    The former Congress chief spent around half an hour at the hospital in the evening.

    A number of leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have wished Singh good health and a speedy recovery.

  • PM Narendra Modi wishes for speedy recovery of predecessor Manmohan Singh

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished his predecessor Manmohan Singh, who has been admitted to the AIIMS, a speedy recovery. Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here on Wednesday evening after he complained of weakness following a fever.

    Modi tweeted, “I pray for the good health and speedy recovery of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji.” Earlier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the former prime minister and enquired about his health from the doctors treating him.

  • Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya arrives at AIIMS to meet ex-PM Manmohan Singh

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday arrived at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi to meet former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh.

    Singh was admitted to AIIMS, yesterday, for evaluation of fever. After few hours of his admission, Singh was reported to be stable.

  • Ex-PM Manmohan Singh admitted to AIIMS with weakness after fever

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here Wednesday evening after he complained of weakness following a fever, sources said.

    They said the 89-year-old had a fever on Monday and had recovered from it, but turned weak and is currently on fluids.

    In April this year, Singh was admitted to the hospital due to the coronavirus infection.

  • PM Modi greets Manmohan Singh on birthday

    By PTI

    NEW DELHIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted his predecessor Manmohan Singh on his birthday on Sunday, wishing him a long and healthy life.

    Singh, who headed the UPA coalition government between 2004 and 2014, turned 89 on Sunday.

    He is credited with playing a key role in ushering in economic reforms as the finance minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government during 1991-96.

    “Birthday greetings to our former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. I pray for his long life and wonderful health,” Modi tweeted.

  • Road ahead more daunting, need to recalibrate priorities: Manmohan Singh on 30 years of liberalisation

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The road ahead is even more daunting than during the 1991 economic crisis and the nation would need to recalibrate its priorities to ensure a dignified life for all Indians, said former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Friday.

    In a statement marking the 30th anniversary of economic liberalisation, Singh said he was deeply saddened at the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of millions of fellow Indians and livelihoods.

    Recalling that as finance minister in 1991, he ended his budget speech by quoting Victor Hugo, ‘No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come’, and said, “Thirty years later, as a nation, we must remember Robert Frost’s poem — ‘But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep’.”

    “It is not a time to rejoice and exult but to introspect and ponder. The road ahead is even more daunting than during the 1991 crisis,” Singh said in the statement.

    “Our priorities as a nation need to be recalibrated to foremost ensure a healthy and dignified life for every single Indian.”

    He said that on this day, 30 years ago in 1991, the Congress party ushered in significant reforms of India’s economy and paved a new path for the nation’s economic policy.

    Over the last three decades, successive governments have followed this path to catapult the nation to a USD 3 trillion economy and into the league of the world’s largest economies, the former prime minister noted.

    More importantly, he said, nearly 300 million fellow Indians have been lifted out of poverty in this period and hundreds of millions of new jobs have been provided for the youth.

    Singh said the reforms process unleashed the spirit of free enterprise which has helped produce world-class companies and help India emerge as a global power in many sectors.

    “The economic liberalisation process in 1991 was triggered by an economic crisis that confronted our nation then, but it was not limited to crisis management. The edifice of India’s economic reforms was built on the desire to prosper, the belief in our capabilities and the confidence to relinquish control of the economy by the government,” he said.

    Singh said he was fortunate to play a role in this reform process along with several of his colleagues in the Congress party.

    “It gives us immense joy to look back with pride at the tremendous economic progress made by our nation in the last three decades. But I am also deeply saddened at the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of millions of fellow Indians,” he said.

    The social sectors of health and education have lagged behind and not kept pace with our economic progress.

    Too many lives and livelihoods have been lost that should not have been, Singh lamented.

  • Piyush Goyal meets senior Opposition leaders ahead of Monsoon Session

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Newly-appointed Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal met senior Opposition leaders including former prime minister and Congress veteran Manmohan Singh, his party colleague Anand Sharma and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning Monday.

    Sources said Goyal met the former prime minister Friday and Anand Sharma Thursday evening.

    He spent around half an hour with Manmohan Singh.

    The meetings were termed courtesy calls on the senior opposition leaders.

    The interactions with senior opposition leaders are also being seen as an outreach exercise by the government ahead of the Parliament session.

    The interactions come days after Goyal was named the Leader of House in Rajya Sabha in place of Thaawarchand Gehlot who has been made the governor of Karnataka.

    The session beginning Monday would conclude on August 13.

    The government has listed 17 new bills for introduction in the session, including three to replace ordinances issued recently.

    BJP MPs are also expected to introduce private members’ Bills on population control and uniform civil code.

  • Narasimha Rao gave new sense of direction to eco, foreign policies, says EX-PM Manmohan Singh

    By PTI
    HYDERABAD: Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao was a rare scholar and statesman who gave a new sense of direction to the countrys economic and foreign policies, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday, paying glowing tributes to the late Prime Minister on his 100th birth anniversary.

    Singh, who virtually addressed the concluding programme of Raos birth centenary celebrations organised by Congress in Telangana, said one of the significant aspects of the economic reforms initiated by the Narasimha Rao regime was that they took into account the unique nature of the realities of the Indian situation.

    P V Narasimha Rao strongly felt that the reforms would have to be mindful of Indian concerns and would have to protect the interests of our poor and our working people, he said.

    Narasimha Rao brought realism to the fore in the countrys foreign policy and tried to improve Indias relations with its neighbours, he said.

    Rao had launched what has come to be known as the countrys Look East policy linking India to many East and Southeast Asian countries, he said.

    Under his leadership, the ballistic missile technology programme was launched, besidessuccessfully testing the augmented satellite launch vehicle, he said.

    Rao was truly a sanyasi in politics, he said.

    Singh praised K Srinath Reddy, eminent cardiologist and president of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), who received the lifetime achievement award presented by the organising committee.

    Srinath Reddy had served as the personal physician of Rao when he was Prime Minister.

    Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who also virtually addressed the event, said it was during the Congress government headed by Rao that the threat of terrorism was brought under control (in the 1990s).

    Both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir returned to normalcy in the 1990s and had regular elections since then in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

    Former President APJ Abdul Kalam gave credit for conducting nuclear tests to the Narasimha Rao government, he said.

    Kharge also talked about the various other landmark achievements of Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister.

    Srinath Reddy, who spoke on COVID-19, stressed the importance of hastening vaccination, strengthening public health systems at various levels, among others, to effectively face the challenge of the pandemic.

    Narasimha Raos brother P V Manohar Rao, AICC in-charge of Congress affairs in Telangana and MP Manickam Tagore, outgoing Telangana Congress president and MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, former minister J Geeta Reddy, who headed the organising committee of Raos centenary celebrations during the last one year, also spoke on the occasion.