NEW DELHI: Even as prime minister, Manmohan Singh‘s preference for simplicity was evident in his fondness for a modest Maruti Suzuki 800, a car he cherished over a luxurious BMW that came with the position.
In a heartfelt social media tribute, Uttar Pradesh’s minister of state for social welfare (independent charge) Asim Arun shared an anecdote about Singh’s simplicity and values.
Despite the availability of a fleet of high-security vehicles, including a state-of-the-art BMW, Singh often expressed his preference for his Maruti Suzuki 800. “Asim, I don’t like travelling in this car (BMW). My car is the Maruti.,” Singh would tell Arun, his eyes often drifting to the Maruti whenever his motorcade passed by it.
“It was as if he was reaffirming his identity as a middle-class man and his commitment to caring for the common man. While the BMW might symbolise the grandeur of the prime minister’s position, in his heart, he saw the Maruti as his car,” Arun said.
Arun, a former IPS officer who served as Singh’s close protection officer during his tenure as prime minister, shared glimpses into Singh’s character and philosophy.
In his role as head of the Special Protection Group’s Close Protection Team (CPT), Arun spent nearly three years shadowing Manmohan Singh. “As the AIG CPT, my responsibility was to stay with the prime minister at all times, like his shadow. If only one bodyguard could stay with him, it had to be me,” Arun said.
Arun’s post came shortly after Singh, aged 92, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi late Thursday night.
As finance minister in the 1990s, his visionary policies liberated the nation from the constraints of the licence raj, steering it away from economic collapse. His tenure as prime minister from 2004 to 2014 was marked by transformative initiatives like the Right to Information (RTI), the Right to Education (RTE), and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
Known for his intellect, humility, and ability to forge consensus, Singh earned respect not only within India but also in global financial and economic spheres.
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