Manmohan Singh hospitalised: Praying for your speedy recovery, tweets PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, a speedy recovery, after the latter was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, last night, for evaluation of fever. “I pray for the good health and speedy recovery of Dr Manmohan Singh Ji,” PM Modi tweeted.

Earlier today, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the premier hospital to check upon Singh, who turned 89 last month. “Met former PM Dr Manmohan Singh Ji today, at AIIMS, and enquired about his health. I pray that he recovers quickly,” a rough translation of Mandaviya’s tweet, that was posted in Hindi, read.

In a bulletin late Wednesday night, doctors said that the Congress Rajya Sabha MP is “stable.” Singh, who, in 2004, became the country’s first Sikh Prime Minister, and won a re-election in 2009, had been complaining of fever since Tuesday. In April this year, he was admitted to AIIMS after contracting Covid-19.

A renowned economist who spearheaded the 1991 economic reforms as the Union finance minister under then-PM PV Narasimha Rao, Singh held various important political and non-political portfolios throughout his illustrious career. He headed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as it governor, from 1982 to 1985, and was the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission from 1985 to 1987.

Singh’s tenure as the Prime Minister ended in 2014 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the general elections that year.