Outgoing US President Joe Biden has paid tributes to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and called him a “true statesman” and a “dedicated public servant”. Dr Singh, who held office from 2004 to 2014 and was known as one of the architects of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy, died Thursday at 92.
“The unprecedented level of cooperation between the United States and India today would not have been possible without the Prime Minister’s strategic vision and political courage,” Mr Biden said in a statement on Friday.
From forging the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement to helping launch the first Quad between Indo-Pacific partners, Manmohan Singh charted “pathbreaking progress that will continue to strengthen our nations — and the world —for generations to come,” Mr Biden said.
Under the leadership of Dr Singh and then US President George W Bush, India and the US announced in 2005 that they would cooperate in civil nuclear energy.
Following a series of negotiations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a United Nations agency that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology, approved the safeguards agreement with India in August 2008, following which the US approached the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant a waiver to New Delhi to commence civilian nuclear trade.
The NSG then granted the waiver to India on September 6, 2008, allowing it to access civilian nuclear technology and fuel from other countries.
Mr Biden also recalled meeting Dr Singh as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2008 and as the US Vice President during his official state visit to the US in 2009.
“He also graciously hosted me in New Delhi in 2013. As we discussed then, the US-India relationship is among the most consequential in the world. And together, as partners and friends, our nations can unlock a future of dignity and unlimited potential for all of our people,” Mr Biden said.
“During this difficult time, we recommit to this vision to which Prime Minister Singh dedicated his life. And Jill (US First Lady) and I send our deepest condolences to former First Lady Gursharan Kaur, their three children, and all the people of India,” he added.
Manmohan Singh’s last rites will be held with full state honours today at the Nigambodh Ghat, a public cremation ground in Delhi.
Several politicians, including President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to attend the funeral.
