While mourning the death of Dr Manmohan Singh, Rajasthan takes pride in being represented by the former prime minister in his sixth and the final term in the Rajya Sabha till April 3 this year.

Dr Manmohan Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha unopposed from the state in a by-election in August 2019 from the seat that had fallen vacant following the death of Madan Lal Saini of the BJP. After the expiry of his term, the seat is retained by the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

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Moreover, it is also a matter of satisfaction for the state that memories of Singh’s role and contribution to landmark projects/initiatives will be cherished forever. These include foundation laying for the Kishangarh (Ajmer) airport and the Jaipur Metro Phase-1B project (2013) and also launching of the Aadhar based services and facilities in the country, from Dudu (Jaipur) in 2012.

These landmark projects in the history of Rajasthan coupled with the then prime minister’s big achievements in conceptualising and materialising the regime of economic reforms, enacting the NREGA and RTI and the game changing Indo – US Nuclear Deal today are singing Dr Singh’s glory as a successful man of history.

All media publications and platforms are praising the former PM for his contribution to the state which more or less may be read as an endorsement to Singh’s famous assertion of 2014 on his self assessment.

Addressing a press conference in January 2014, four months before demitting the office after the general elections, Singh had said, “I do not believe that I have been a weak Prime Minister … I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter the Opposition in Parliament, given the political compulsions, I have done the best I could do.”

One more link that connected Singh with this desert state, goes two decades back. For two years before becoming the prime minister in 2004, Singh remained the chairman in the Governing Council of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Jaipur.

The chairman’s chamber made for him has so far been kept intact “as it is” for these 20 years even after his becoming the PM. Neither the chair was changed or used nor was Dr Manmohan Singh’s name plate on the door removed.

Now, the institute contemplates dedicating this room “as it is” to Singh and his memories.