Rijiju pays tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh on jayanti
Synopsis
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju honoured former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on his birth anniversary on 26 September 2026, remembering his decades of national service and contributions to public life, continuing a cross-party tradition of acknowledging former heads of government.
Key Takeaways
Kiren Rijiju , Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, posted a tribute to Dr.
Manmohan Singh on his jayanti, 26 September 2026 .
Singh served as Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 across two UPA terms.
He is widely credited with steering India's historic economic liberalisation in 1991 as Finance Minister.
Rijiju cited Singh's 'long years of service to the nation and contribution to public life.' The tribute reflects a standard cross-party convention of honouring former Prime Ministers on birth anniversaries.
On the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju offered a respectful remembrance on Saturday, 26 September 2026, honouring a leader whose decades of public service left a lasting imprint on India's economic and political landscape.
Rijiju wrote: 'Remembering former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, on his jayanti. His long years of service to the nation and contribution to public life will always be remembered with respect.'
The legacy being remembered
Dr. Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 across two consecutive UPA terms. Before that, as Finance Minister in 1991, he architected the landmark economic liberalisation programme that opened India to the world — a turning point that reshaped the country's growth trajectory for generations.
His career in public life spanned decades across the Reserve Bank of India, the Planning Commission, and the highest offices of the Union government — a record of institutional service few in Indian political history can match.
A BJP minister's gesture across party lines
Rijiju's tribute is part of a broader, well-established tradition in Indian public life: leaders from the ruling BJP and opposition benches alike mark the birth anniversaries of former Prime Ministers with public statements acknowledging their contributions to national development. The gesture underscores a convention that separates constitutional respect for office from day-to-day political contest.
As a senior BJP leader and a Union Cabinet minister, Rijiju's acknowledgement of Dr. Singh's 'long years of service' carries institutional weight — a reminder that the republic's memory of its leaders does not dissolve with changes in government.
Point of View
But they carry a subtle institutional signal when issued across party lines. A senior BJP minister acknowledging the legacy of the Congress-era Prime Minister most associated with economic liberalisation reinforces the idea that certain contributions — especially the 1991 reforms — are now part of a shared national narrative rather than contested partisan territory. It also reflects the BJP government's interest in projecting statesmanly decorum around constitutional traditions. The gesture costs little politically but maintains the norms of republican respect that hold the broader democratic culture together.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Manmohan Singh's birthday?
Dr. Manmohan Singh was born on 26 September , and his birth anniversary, known as his jayanti , is marked each year by political leaders across party lines.
What is Manmohan Singh's contribution to India?
Dr. Manmohan Singh is best known for steering India's landmark economic liberalisation in 1991 as Finance Minister and for serving as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 , making him one of India's longest-serving heads of government.
Why did Kiren Rijiju pay tribute to Manmohan Singh?
Rijiju paid tribute on Dr. Singh's jayanti (birth anniversary) on 26 September 2026, following the established tradition of Indian leaders honouring former Prime Ministers on their birth anniversaries regardless of party affiliation.
Who is Kiren Rijiju?
Kiren Rijiju is a senior BJP leader from Arunachal Pradesh who currently serves as India's Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Affairs .
How long did Manmohan Singh serve as Prime Minister?
Dr. Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister of India for ten years, from 2004 to 2014 , across two consecutive terms under the UPA government.
