Assembly Seeks Bharat Ratna For Manmohan Singh

A special Assembly session was held today as part of the seven-day mourning period in Telangana to pay tribute to former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy introduced the condolence resolution in the House, and the main opposition party, the BRS, supported it.

The Legislative Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution seeking the conferring of the country's highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna on Singh.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister described Singh's passing as an irreparable loss to the country. He said that the former Prime Minister remained composed and never lost his cool despite constant criticism, silently getting things done.

"Manmohan Singh focused on strengthening the country economically and socially. He stands out as a leading figure in economic and political matters. He joined us in a protest in Delhi as a Member of Parliament to protect democracy - an event we will remember for the rest of our lives. His participation highlighted his humility," Reddy said.

The Chief Minister credited Singh for the Employment Guarantee Scheme, and the Food Security and the Right To Information Acts. He also credited Singh for the Land Acquisition Act (2013) aimed at benefiting the landless poor.

"Manmohan Singh enacted many laws, drawing inspiration from Dr Ambedkar. The liberal policies introduced by Dr Singh transformed the country's direction. He served as Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister and shared a deep connection with Telangana. It is a great loss to lose such a humanitarian. The people of Telangana will forever remember him for granting statehood to Telangana," the CM added.

He announced that the State government had decided to install a statue of Singh in Hyderabad's Financial District.

"We believe it is fitting to honour Dr Singh on Telangana soil. All members are encouraged to provide suggestions on where the statue should be installed," Reddy said.