New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday expressed grief over the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and termed him as the first PM who worked for the upliftment of marginalised communities and also the Muslims.
"On behalf of my party, I express my deepest condolences to his family. It is true that Manmohan Singh was a refugee from the Partition, and through his hard work and honesty, he rose to success, serving as the RBI Governor, Finance Minister, and eventually the Prime Minister," he said.
"He was the first PM who worked for the upliftment of marginalised communities and also the Muslim community. With his demise, the country has lost its son," Owaisi added.
DMK MP Kanimozhi termed the passing of Dr Singh as a "national loss."
"He was a PM who had a huge respect for Parliament. When we were going through an economic crisis, he saved India's economy...Our former PM's death is a big loss for the nation," she said.
Manmohan Singh passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, on Thursday evening at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. He had a sudden loss of consciousness at home after which he was rushed to the AIIMS Delhi.
Singh, renowned for introducing the 1991 economic liberalisation reforms as the Finance Minister of India, will be cremated near Rajghat, at the location where the last rites of Prime Ministers are performed.
Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932. Apart from being an economist, Manmohan Singh served as Reserve Bank of India governor from 1982-1985. He was the 13th PM of India with his tenure from 2004-2014 and was the longest-serving PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Serving as the finance minister of India in PV Narasimha Rao's government, Singh has been given credit for economic liberalisation in the country in 1991. The reforms made the Indian economy more accessible to foreign investors, which increased FDI and reduced government control. It greatly contributed to the country's economic growth. (ANI)