Manmohan Singh - It's Official

[gsingh]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/05/1...tics/index.html

Singh now set to be Indian PM

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A topsy-turvy day in Indian politics has taken a new twist with Manmohan Singh now again likely to be the next prime minister after senior Congress party officials appeared to fail in their bid to convince Sonia Gandhi to take the job.

Members of a key Congress committee submitted their resignations in an effort to persuade Gandhi to reverse her decision to decline the post of leader of the world's biggest democracy.

It is not clear who resigned but Gandhi ignored the tactic and also protests by thousands of disappointed supporters and stood by her decision, senior Congress sources said.

Gandhi on Tuesday "humbly declined" the job as prime minister, instead nominating former finance minister Singh.

Both Gandhi and the 71-year-old Oxford-trained economist are expected to meet Wednesday with India's President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to stake Singh's claim to form a government. (Singh profile)

"We are in the process of making a decision. There is a large body of opinion that would like Sonia Gandhi to become prime minister but recognizing that it might not happen would look at whoever she is pointing to and that looks like Dr. Singh," Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer told CNN.

But Aiyer told CNN that Gandhi would still be closely involved at the top level despite her not being prime minister.

"She's the queen, she is appointing a regent to run some of the government's business. But it is

she who will be in charge," he said.

"Sonia Gandhi is going to be a key element in the building of any consensus for the basis on which a democratic prime minister has to make his decisions."

Shops closed down across India on Wednesday as part of a campaign to persuade Gandhi to become prime minister, and thousands of supporters have gathered outside her home in New Delhi to encourage her to accept the position. (On the scene)

Congress president Gandhi withdrew her name as a candidate on Tuesday.

In her speech on Tuesday, the 57-year-old Gandhi told shouting supporters she was listening to "my inner voice, my conscience," when she decided not to bid for the job of prime minister. (Gandhi declines PM post)

While some supporters were angry at Gandhi's withdrawal, others maintain her key goal as leader of the Congress was to topple the Hindu nationalists.

The Italian-born Gandhi has long had reservations about taking the top post, and she stayed away from politics for more than a decade after the death of her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

But through her leadership, the Congress delivered one of the biggest upsets in India's political history, claiming victory over the ruling Hindu nationalists last week.

The nation was shocked by Gandhi's decision, but stocks rebounded from a dramatic crash on Monday.

Shares rose 2.65 percent to close at 5006.10 -- a nick above the psychologically-important 5,000 level.

Wednesday's rally followed what Indians have dubbed "Black Monday," when stocks plummeted 11 percent, in the Mumbai exchange's biggest pounding in its 129-year history.

Investors had thought a pro-labor, anti-privatization communist-backed coalition could slow or halt reforms in Asia's third-largest economy.

'Inner voice'

Congress sources said Gandhi -- a Roman Catholic born in Italy -- was tired of personal attacks from Hindu nationals over her faith and heritage and thought the par

ty might be more successful with a different leader.

"By choosing to humbly decline to take up the prime minister's post she has played a masterstroke, " the Indian Express said.

"She has neatly disarmed her political opponents of the one weapon they had opted to use against her."

Some reports have suggested her children encouraged her to drop out, fearful of the risk involved in taking such a high profile position.

Gandhi married into a family that dominated Indian politics since independence from Britain in 1947.

Her mother-in-law, Indira, ruled the country until her assassination in 1984. Her son, Sonia's husband Rajiv, was killed in a suicide bombing two years after losing power in 1989.

Others suggest Gandhi pulled out after communist allies said they would only support her coalition from the outside, potentially making it difficult for her to form a stable government and pass legislation.

-- CNN's Ram Ramgopal, New Delhi Bureau Chief Satinder Bindra and producer Suhasini Haidar contributed to this report

[gsingh]

CNN QUESTION OF THE DAY!

Created: Tuesday, May 18, 2004, at 17:20:37 EST

Did Sonia Gandhi make the right decision by not accepting the Prime Minister's job?

Yes 63% 2135 votes

No 37% 1273 votes

Total: 3408 votes

BOLE SO NIHAL! SAT SRI AKAL!

America and the rest of the world is with the decision for a Sikh to be PM! http://www.muller-godschalk.com/

[nanosecond]

:wub: We dont know wat kind of Sikh Dr. Manmohan Singh is but one thing is for sure .......it will send a strong signal for Sikhs' recognition around the world.

[Deep Singh]

I agree!

Way to go! Dr. Manmohan Singh :wub:

[Khalsa4ever]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

Yeah! :wub:

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

[Guest akirtghan]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

From what I have read so far, Dr. Manmohan Singh is the most honest, humble, soft-spoken and honest being. Note that he keeps his Sikhi saroop and uses Singh as his last name. Very well educated, DPhil from Oxford University. I feel so happy to see him leading India. He has been called the "Father of Economic Reforms of India". He is said to take only Rs 1.00 salary when he was the finance minister.

Here is his profile...Amazing....We need more such Sikh leaders with Gursikh qualities and well educated. Ofcourse such Khalsa qualities will rule not just India, but the whole world....wait and see.......

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FACTFILE

Place of birth

Gah in West Punjab (now in Pakistan)

Date of birth

September 26, 1932

Education

MA, DPhil (Oxford), DLitt (Honoris Causa)

Academic Career

Senior Lecturer in Economics (1957-59), Reader in Economics (1959-63), Professor in Economics (1963-65) at Punjab University, Chandigarh

Professor of International Trade, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi (1969-71)

Honorary Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 1976, and at Delhi School of Econom

ics, University of Delhi, 1996

National Fellow, National Institute of Education, NCERT, 1986

Honorary Fellow, (i) St John's College, Cambridge UK, 1982, (ii) Indian Institute of Bankers, 1982 (iii) All India Management Association, 1993 and (iv) Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, 1994

Wrenbury Scholar, University of Cambridge, 1957

Non-Academic Career

Economic Affairs Officer, 1966 and Chief, Financing for Trade Section, UNCTAD, United Nations Secretariat, New York, 1966-69

President, Indian Economic Association, 1985

Chairman, (i) UGC, March 15, 1991 to June 20, 1991, (ii) India Committee of the Indo-Japan Joint Study Committee, 1980-83 and (iii) Committee on Commerce, August 1, 1996-December 4, 1997

Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, January 15, 1985 to July 31, 1987

Governor, Reserve Bank of India, September 16, 1982 to January 14, 1985

Director, (i) Reserve Bank of India, 1976-80 and (ii) Industrial Development Bank of India, 1976-80; Economic Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Trade, India, 1971-72

Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, India, 1972-76

Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Economic Affairs, December 10, 1990 to March 14, 1991

Secretary-General and Commissioner, South Commission August 1, 1987 to November 10, 1990

Secretary, Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs), Government of India, November, 1976 to April, 1980

Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, April, 1980 to September 15, 1982

Member, (i) Finance, Atomic Energy Commission, Government of India, (ii) Finance, Space Commission, Government of India,(iii) Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, 1983-84

Member,(i) Committee on Finance,(ii) Committee on Rules, (iii) Committee of Privileges and (iv) Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance

Leader, Indian Delegation to (i) Indo-Soviet Monitoring Group Meeting, 1982, (ii) Indo-Soviet Joint Planning Group Meeting, 1980-82 (

iii) Aid-India Consortium Meetings, 1977-79, (iv) Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Cyprus, 1993 and (v) Human Rights World Conference, Vienna, 1993

Attended as member of Indian Delegations (a) South-South Consultations, New Delhi, 1982, (B) Cancun Summit on North-South Issues, 1981, © Aid-India Consortium Meetings, Paris, 1973-79, (d) Annual Meetings of IMF, IBRD and Commonwealth Finance Ministers, 1972-79 (e) Third Session of UNCTAD, Santiago, April-May, 1972, (f) Meeting of UNCTAD Trade and Development Board, Geneva, May 1971-July 1972 and (g) Ministerial Meeting of Group of 77, Lima, October, 1971

Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on International Monetary Reform, 1972-74

Associate, Meetings of IMF Interim Committee and Joint Fund-Bank Development Committee, 1976-80 and 1982-85; Alternate Governor for India, (i) Board of Governors,IBRD, 1976-80, (ii) Board of Governors IMF, 1982-85 and (iii) Board of Governors Asian Development Bank, Manila, 1976-80

Governor for India on the Board of Governors of the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1991-95

Participated in Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meeting, Kingston, 1975; represented Secretary-General UNCTAD at several Inter-Governmental meetings, including Second Session of UNCTAD, 1968 and Committee on Invisibles and Financing related to Trade Consultant to UNCTAD, ESCAP and Commonwealth Secretariat

Political Career

Union Finance Minister, June 21, 1991 to May 15, 1996

Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha; elected to the Rajya Sabha in October, 1991 and re-elected in June 1995

Awards

Recipient of honorary degrees of DLitt from Panjab University, Chandigarh, Guru Nanak University, Amritsar, Delhi University, Delhi, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupathi, Panjabi University, Patiala, University of Mysore, My

sore, University of Bolonga, Italy, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Nagarjuna University, Nagarjunanagar and Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra

Recepient of honorary degree of (i) Doctor of Laws from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, (ii) Doctor of Social Sciences from University of Roorkee, Roorkee and (iii) DSc from Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar and (iv) Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala

Conferred,(i) University Medal for standing first in BA(Hons), Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1952, (ii) Uttar Chand Kapur Medal, Panjab University, Chandigarh, for standing first in M.A.(Economics) 1954, (iii) Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's College, Cambridge, 1956 and 1957, (iv) Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, UK, 1956, (v) Padma Vibhushan, 1987, (vi) Euromoney Award, Finance Minister of the year, 1993 (vii) Asiamoney Award, Finance Minister of the year for Asia, 1993 and 1994, (viii) Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress Association, 1994-95, (ix) Justice KS Hegde Foundation Award, 1996 ,(x) Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. (NIKKEI), publisher of Japan's leading business daily,1997 and (xi) Lokmanya Tilak Award by the Tilak Smarak Trust, Pune, 1997.

Publications

India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth, Clarendon Press, Oxford University, 1964

[japmans]

vaheguru!

good for him... let's not judge him if we don't know him....

once we find out more about him, then let's make factual decisions on waht we say.. can't we please hold off on the criticism?