NEW DELHI — Described as a 'reluctant king' in his first stint as prime minister, the soft-spoken Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday (Dec 26) at the age of 92, was arguably 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 had...
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talks to Lesotho's Prime Minister Tom Thabane during a meeting in New Delhi, March 11, 2014.NEW DELHI — Described as a "reluctant king" in his first stint as prime minister, the soft-spoken Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday at the age of 92, was arguably one of India's most successful leaders.
He became a respected economist, then India's central bank governor and a government adviser, but had no apparent plans for a political career when he was suddenly tapped to become finance minister in 1991. Riding an unprecedented period of economic growth, Singh's government shared the spoils of India's newfound wealth, introducing welfare schemes such as a jobs programme for the rural poor.
The widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, whose family has dominated Indian politics since independence from Britain in 1947, she remained Congress Party leader and often made key decisions.
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