New Delhi, Sep 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday wished former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on his birthday today. "Greetings to our former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji on his birthday. I pray for Dr. Singh’s long life and good health", the Prime Minister tweeted.  The former Prime Minister was born in Gah in undivided Punjab on this day in 1932. Meanwhile, the Congress too extended birthday greeting to Singh expressing gratitude for his contribution in serving the country. "Today we celebrate one of the finest minds of the 21st century. Dr. Manmohan Singh has served our country in a multitude of ways but his greatest contribution will always be his humility, his patriotism and his dedication to development for all", the Congress tweeted.

Manmohan Singh, an Indian economist and politician was born on 26 September 1932. Singh who is believed to be an epitome of simplicity served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. The first Sikh in office, Singh was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.

Singh political career began in June 1991 when the then Prime Minister of India, P. V. Narasimha Rao, chose him to be his Finance Minister. Singh was first elected to the upper house of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, in 1991 by the legislature of the state of Assam, and was re-elected in 1995, 2001, 2007 and 2013.

From 1998 to 2004, while the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. In 1999, he contested for the Lok Sabha from South Delhi but was unable to win the seat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2018 08:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).