New Delhi:
Striking a civil nuclear deal with the United States and not being able to do more in the area of healthcare were the “best moment” and “biggest regret”, respectively, during his tenure, Manmohan Singh, who died Thursday at 92, said in his last press conference as the prime minister in 2014.
Dr Singh held office from 2004 to 2014 and was known as one of the architects of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy.
In his last press conference as Prime Minister on January 3, 2014, Dr Singh was asked about his “best moment” and “biggest regret” as prime minister.
“I will need time to reflect on this. But certainly, the best moment for me was when we were able to strike a nuclear deal with the United States to end the nuclear apartheid which had sought to stifle the processes of social and economic change, and technical progress of our country in many ways,” he responded to the former question.
Under the leadership of Dr Singh and the then US President George W Bush, India and the US in 2005 announced that they would cooperate in civil nuclear energy.
Following a series of negotiations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a United Nations agency that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology, approved the safeguards agreement with India in August 2008, following which the US approached the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant a waiver to New Delhi to commence civilian nuclear trade.
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The NSG then granted the waiver to India on September 6, 2008, allowing it to access civilian nuclear technology and fuel from other countries.
Manmohan Singh On His “Biggest Regret” As PM
Asked about the “biggest regret” in his tenure of 10 years, Manmohan Singh said he would have liked to do “a lot more” in the area of healthcare.
“I am sorry. I haven’t thought through this matter. But certainly, I would like to do a lot more in the area of healthcare, healthcare for children, and healthcare for women. The National Rural Health Mission that we started has achieved impressive results but a lot more needs to be done,” he said.
Dr Singh-led government launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in April 2005 to improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for people in rural areas, especially the poor, women, and children.
“History Will Be Kinder To Me”
In that press conference, Manmohan Singh was asked by NDTV’s Sunil Prabhu about allegations that he failed to check corruption on his watch.
Responding to this, Dr Singh had said with a smile, “I honestly believe history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.”
“I cannot divulge all the things that take place in the cabinet system of government. I think taking into account the circumstances and the compulsions of a coalition polity, I have done as best as I could do under the circumstances,” he added.
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At the time, the United Progressive Alliance-II government was reeling under allegations of corruption in several of its ministries, a key reason behind the Congress’s rout in the 2014 general election and the Narendra Modi-led BJP’s ascent to power.
“Never Felt Like Resigning”
At the press conference, Manmohan Singh was asked if he ever felt like “resigning” at any point during his tenure of 10 years.
“I have never felt like resigning at any time. I have enjoyed doing my work. I have tried to do my work with all honesty, with all sense of integrity, without regard, or fear or favour,” he had said.
The Congress leader was also asked if the scandals such as Commonwealth and 2G have cost his government a “great deal”.
“When you look back, do you feel there is something you should have done differently, and what would it be,” Dr Singh was questioned.
He said he felt “somewhat sad” because he was the one who insisted that spectrum allocation should be “transparent, fair and equitable”.
“I was the one who insisted that coal blocks should be allocated on the basis of auctions. These facts are forgotten. The Opposition has a vested interest. Sometimes the media play into their hands as well, and therefore, I have every reason to believe, that when history is written of this period, we will come out unscathed. This is not to say that there was no irregularity. There were irregularities. But the dimensions of the problems have been overstated by the media, by the CAG sometimes, and by other entities,” he said.