Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a great leader, saying he helped take US-India relations to a fundamentally new level through the historic civil nuclear deal between the two countries.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (92) died on Thursday night at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
Rice, 70, said in a post on social media platform “He was a great man and a great leader who helped take US-India relations to a fundamentally new level with the historic US-India civil nuclear agreement of 2008.”
Rice served as Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009 and before that as National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005. He held both these posts during the tenure of the then President George W Bush. Those eight years are seen as transformative years in India-US relations, particularly the historic civil nuclear deal that Singh and Bush jointly initiated.
Rice said, “Prime Minister Singh risked his political future and then rebuilt his government to gain the support needed to secure an agreement that would ultimately change the geopolitical direction of the region And will have far-reaching impacts for decades to come. I express my deepest condolences to the people of India for this huge loss – may his soul rest in peace.’
Meanwhile, Indian American MP Raja Krishnamurthy also condoled Singh’s death.
Krishnamurthy said in a statement, ‘Singh played an important role in modernizing India’s economy and strengthening relations with the US. His vision for a better India and a better world will continue.”
Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, wrote in a post on the social media platform X that Singh’s 1991 budget “unchained India’s economy and significantly improved the economic prospects of millions of Indians.” ‘ He said Singh’s visionary reforms inspired countless young economists like him.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed condolences on Singh’s death. He said that Singh’s death is a loss for India and the world.
“As one of the longest-serving leaders, he transformed the country’s economy, lifted millions out of poverty and built strong ties with the world, including Canada,” he said.