Manmohan Singh always prioritised welfare of India: Anna Hazare

Mumbai: Condoling the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare said on Friday that the ex-pm always prioritised the welfare of India and its society, PTI reported.

“Those who are born have to die, but some leave memories and their legacy behind. Singh gave a new direction to the country's economy,” Hazare told PTI in his native village in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district.

Hazare recalled his agitation against corruption during Singh's tenure in the early 2010s. The former PM invited him for talks and took quick decisions, said the octogenarian activist.

“He was against corruption and took immediate decisions concerning the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act. He always thought about the country and how best he could work for its people,” Hazare said.

Mr Singh, who was the PM from 2004 to 2014, gave a new direction to the country's economy and brought it on the path of development, said the activist.

“Manmohan Singh has left the world in physical form but will always remain in (people's) memories,” he added.

Mr Singh, who was instrumental in making India an economic powerhouse, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday night. He was 92.

"Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to a medical emergency at AIIMS Delhi at 8.06 pm. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 pm," said the AIIMS bulletin.

Singh, who was prime minister for two terms in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014, had been in poor health for the last few months.