Authorities in India have announced a seven-day mourning period to commemorate Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister of the country. This decision was made on Friday, with politicians and the public expressing their respects for Singh, who is recognized as the key figure behind India’s economic reform program.
All cultural and entertainment activities have been called off for the week, and government buildings throughout India are flying the national flag at half-mast. Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday, will be cremated on Saturday.
Singh’s body has been placed in a glass casket, decorated with flowers and covered with the Indian flag, as leaders and mourners pay their tributes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singh’s residence to offer his condolences to the grieving family.
Later, Modi in a video message said Singh’s life “was a reflection of his honesty and simplicity.”
“He saved the country from an economic crisis by providing a road towards a new economy. As a prime minister, his contribution towards the development and progress of the country will always be remembered,” Modi said.
A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh was prime minister for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament’s upper house, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister.
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