The Manipur Congress on Sunday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and remembered his contribution to the development of the northeastern state as “enormous”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 92, died on Thursday and was cremated in Delhi on Saturday with top Congress and ruling BJP leaders attending his funeral.
At a condolence meeting held at the Congress Bhavan in Imphal on Sunday, party cadres paid tribute to the architect of the 1991 economic reforms.
Congress Legislature Party leader Okram Ibobi Singh, while talking to the media, said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made many contributions to the development of the northeastern states, especially Manipur, during his 10-year tenure.
“He loved Manipur and realized the need to grant Special Category Status to the state where a lot of financial assistance was provided. Under this, several infrastructure improvements were taken up, including the construction of a new assembly building and a high court building. In the hilly districts, important infrastructure projects were carried out for district administration, including district hospitals, small power stations are being built,” said Ibobi Singh.
State congress president Keisham Meghachandra remembered former Prime Minister Singh as the first leader to remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Manipur.
“Dr Manmohan will be remembered in the history of Manipur as he was the first prime minister to issue AFSPA in the state. When it was issued in seven parts of the assembly and he gave Kangla Fort (from Assam Rifles) to the people. Both these are the demands of the people for a long time,” said Meghachandra.
“He initiated reforms and reorganized infrastructure development. Present India and present Manipur is the result of Dr Manmohan’s work,” he added.
Manmohan Singh served as the Prime Minister of India for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014 in the Congress-led UPA coalition government. He was also the Union Finance Minister in the PV Narsimha Rao Cabinet during the economic liberalization of 1991, a milestone in his political career.
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