‘Manmohan Singh never received criticism as a sign of hostility’: Raghuram Rajan pays tribute to former PM

Economist and former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan extolled former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his policies, achievements and the way he dealt with critics and criticism. “Dr Singh never dismissed criticism or critics,” said Rajan, recalling a particular incident, also involving himself, where the former PM was at the receiving end. 

Rajan, in his tribute to Dr Manmohan Singh, penned for The Indian Express, recalled a panel organised by economist Isher Ahluwalia in 2012, during the re-release of a book celebrating Singh’s achievements as finance minister. There were five people in the panel, Rajan wrote, with Ahluwalia first praising his achievements and then criticising the faults. Even though she was Singh’s friend, she did not mince her words, said Rajan. 

Rajan was part of the panel too, and had also criticised Singh, as did the other panelists, including T N Ninan. RBI governor Subba Rao was far measured, he said. The last one to speak was Singh, who said he had obtained a lot of food for thought and would reflect on it. 

While Ahluwalia said what needed to be said, Singh understood why it was being said, observed Rajan. “On an occasion when praise was all that might have been expected, he also received criticism, and did not take it as a sign of hostility. How different our country would be if more leaders imbibed the spirit of these two friends,” wrote Rajan in his tribute.

The former RBI governor also recalled a lunch Singh hosted to discuss the final report of a committee Rajan chaired on financial sector reforms. He said Singh was silent throughout the meeting while others debated. “I remember thinking that few persons in authority would be so self-effacing. But his approach was supremely effective in creating the space for an exchange of views, space that could be easily snuffed out if someone with his knowledge and experience, leave alone his position, expressed their thoughts,” he wrote.

Rajan called Singh a “man of great integrity” who never used any of his offices for personal gain or for the benefit of his family. The corruption scandals in the second term never touched him, said Rajan, but did cloud his record. 

The economist had once asked Singh why he did not write a book about his life, to which the former PM said that “it was not for him to write his own history”. 

“Now it is too late, but I believe history will judge him as a truly great son of India,” said Rajan.