Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night. He was known for being soft-spoken and often called the “silent PM” by some critics. Singh often defended his quiet style of leadership by explaining that he met with journalists frequently and held many press conferences. He shared these stories in his book, “Changing India.”
Singh once said, “People say I was a silent Prime Minister. I think my actions show otherwise. I was not afraid to speak with the press. I held press conferences during my trips abroad and when I returned home.” At his book launch in 2018, he reminded everyone of these interactions.
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari mentioned that Dr. Singh spoke to the press 117 times during his 10 years in office, from 2004 to 2014. Tewari provided a breakdown of these meetings: 72 during foreign trips, 10 annual press conferences, 23 during domestic visits, and 12 related to elections or political matters.
Dr. Singh served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 and was famous in India and around the world for his work in finance. He also humorously noted at the book launch how he became the finance minister “by accident.” Originally, he didn’t plan to take the role because the person who was supposed to be the finance minister didn’t want the job.
In the last months of his time as Prime Minister, Singh defended his government against criticisms, including those about major scandals. He said he wanted to be remembered better by history than by the media and politicians of his time.
He expressed confidence about his term, saying, “I am not ashamed of my time as Prime Minister.”
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