New Delhi: Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh has stepped down from active politics. More than three decades of parliamentary innings came to an end. Manmohan Singh resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after 33 years of service. It can also be described as a farewell from active politics for 91-year-old Manmohan Singh, who is retiring due to ill health.
It is also special that Sonia Gandhi is coming to the Rajya Sabha for the first time when Manmohan Singh’s Rajya Sabha term ends. Congress has nominated Sonia for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by Manmohan Singh.
Manmohan Singh reached the Rajya Sabha for the first time in October 1991. Man Mohan Singh was the Finance Minister in the Narasimha Rao government that ruled from 1991 to 1996. Later he became the Prime Minister of the country for ten years from 2004 to 2014. His contribution to the improvement of India’s economic scene is immense.
In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a farewell to the retiring Rajya Sabha MPs. Modi spoke in praise of Manmohan Singh at the event. “Dr. Manmohan Singh’s contribution to the country is priceless. He led the country and the church for a long time. It will surely be remembered forever,” Modi said.
Manmohan Singh recently came in a wheelchair to cast his vote in the Rajya Sabha. Modi said that other MPs should take this as an example. “Man Mohan Singh set an example that every member should show utmost care in doing their duty,” Modi said.
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav’s terms in the Rajya Sabha also end on Wednesday. Apart from this, the term of 7 more ministers is ending. Other retiring ministers are Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandya, Animal Welfare and Fisheries Minister Purshotham Rupala, Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Narayan Rane and MOS Information and Broadcasting Minister L Murugan.
Among the Union ministers who are retiring from the Rajya Sabha, all except Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and L Murugan are contesting for the Lok Sabha. Both have been given another chance in the Rajya Sabha.
Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Manoj Kumar Jha, Congress’s Nazir Hussain and Abhishek Singhvi, BJP’s national media in-charge Anil Baduni, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, Sushil Kumar Modi, Anil Jain and Saroj Pandey are among those who have retired from the Rajya Sabha.
