Guwahati, Dec 26 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday condoled the death of former prime minister Manmohan Singh and said he embodied "humility" and "never surrendered to the trappings of power".
Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died at AIIMS Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.
"I have had the privilege of knowing Dr Manmohan Singh ji since 1991, when he was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam - a state he represented for 28 years.
"Dr Sahab embodied humility and never surrendered to the trappings of power. In all my interactions with him, his simplicity and decency combined with his intellectual prowess always stood out," Sarma said in a post on X.
During Singh's tenure as the prime minister, Sarma has had the opportunity to interact with him on several occasions regarding issues pertaining to Assam.
"...He always gave us a patient hearing and displayed a strong conviction towards social issues. Coming from humble origins in post-partition India, he served the nation in several distinguished positions," the CM said.
Sarma also said that a generation of Indians will always remember Singh's pivotal role in ushering in a free market economy and "ending decades of regressive socialist policies".
"In his demise, the nation has lost a great patriot, an exceptional scholar, an unconventional politician and a fine statesman. My deepest condolences to Gursharan Madam, his family and well-wishers," Sarma said.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)