HT Archives: Manmohan Singh’s two terms at the helm of the company | Latest news India

Manmohan Singh was appointed leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) on Wednesday. Later he went to Rashtrapati Bhawan and was invited to form the government. He will likely be sworn in as prime minister on Saturday.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to visit Sriperumbudur on Friday, the anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, and return in time for the ceremony.

Sonia will be the president of the CPP. Its constitution was amended at Wednesday’s meeting, providing for a president to be elected by all MPs. The President was given the power to appoint the leaders of the CPP, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Following the amendment, Sonia was unanimously elected speaker and a resolution was passed authorizing her to appoint the leaders of both houses and other office bearers.

Sonia then made a statement pledging her commitment to the party and asking her party men to extend their unwavering support to Manmohan Singh. “I’m not going anywhere. I am still very active in politics. I will continue to serve as Congress President and CPP President for as long as you wish,” she said.

After his meeting with Kalam, Manmohan Singh spoke about the direction in which his government would take economic reforms. “We have always said that economic reforms with a human face will continue,” he said. “We can advance the process of social and economic development to realize the vision of Rajiv Gandhi. »

Manmohan Singh also said that the mandate of the people was that Sonia Gandhi should become Prime Minister. “However, she decided that in the best interest of the country, this charge should be transferred to me,” he added.

When asked if he was a reluctant prime minister, Singh said that even after much persuasion, Sonia refused to be prime minister. “I feel humbled and will work under the guidance and support of Sonia Gandhi,” he said.

Beside him, Sonia said, “I think the country will be safe under Dr Manmohan Singh. »

Earlier in the day, Manmohan Singh’s candidature took final shape after Sonia discussed the matter with her allies and the parties supporting the alliance. She held meetings with DMK chief M Karunanidhi, CPI(M) general secretary HS Surjeet and RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav to seek support for Manmohan Singh. Everyone agreed to support.

Sonia’s meeting with Karunanidhi also resulted in the DMK agreeing to be part of the Congress-led government.

Other allies such as the MDMK, JMM, PMK and Telangana Rashtriya Samiti have declared their unequivocal support for the Congress prime ministerial candidate. MDMK leader Vaiko and PMK’s P. Ramadoss appealed to Manmohan Singh.

2009: Return to power

As the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) defies all odds in a tight race, Manmohan Singh (76) will take a new oath this week, becoming the second Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to return to power after a full five-year term. .

With 206 seats, 61 more than in 2004, the Indian Grand Party achieved its best total in 18 years, winning urban and rural seats across the country.

This victory also strengthened the position of the party’s general secretary, Rahul Gandhi (39), who led the charge in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress won 21 seats, one record in 25 years.

The latest results and leads indicate that the UPA is about a dozen seats short of half its number of 272 in a House of 543. The alliance will fill the gap with independents and smaller parties.

With 60% of India now under the age of 35, we can expect to see younger MPs getting ministerial posts, as happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to 404 seats, his best result ever recorded. The party won 232 seats in 1991.

“People appreciated the work done by us,” said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, beaming, as Singh stood stoically by her side. As Sonia spoke to reporters on Saturday at her residence at 10, Janpath, Congress members across the country distributed sweets, burst crackers and danced in the streets.

While the results of the Left and the BJP are declining, the verdict is seen as an endorsement of the UPA government’s policies, particularly the redistribution of wealth to India’s poorest through social programs without precedent which totaled nearly ₹1,00,000 crore in rural development, agriculture, health and education.

The Prime Minister’s image as a competent and incorruptible administrator and reformer, coupled with urban transformations, helped the party win all seven seats in Delhi and six in Mumbai in the Congress.

For the BJP, it was back to square one, falling on Saturday from its 2004 figure of 138 to 116, close to its 1991 figure, when it began its rise to become India’s ruling party in 1998 .

Its best performance was 182 seats in 1999.

The 15th Lok Sabha elections also rejected the concept of a non-BJP, non-Congress third front pushed by the Left, particularly the CPM, in decline in its strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala.

Sonia’s popularity has increased over the past five years after she gave up the prime ministership in 2004, and later when she resigned as an MP when the BJP tried to mount a campaign against her , claiming she held a lucrative position.