New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday given a warm farewell dinner by Congress president Sonia Gandhi which was attended by a galaxy of party leaders and Union Ministers.
The function at 10, Janpath was held as a mark of gratitude by the party whose coalition government the 81-year-old Singh led for 10 long years.
The economist-turned-politician had announced his retirement some time back saying he would not run for a third term.
The party had only yesterday hailed Singh’s able stewardship of the government, underlining how he had led the country through difficult times.
“Singh’s experienced and seasoned stewardship, his personal integrity and ability to lead the country through difficult times is noteworthy and India is proud to have earned so many laurels and respect during the 10 years,” AICC had said on Tuesday.
Singh would be demitting office on May 17, a day after the Lok Sabha election results are announced.
He had assumed office on May 22, 2009, for his second straight term as prime minister and already holds the distinction of being the third-longest serving head of the Union government after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
A former governor of RBI, Singh — who is often described as the architect of India’s economic reforms – entered politics in 1991 when he was made Finance Minister by the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
