Indian PM Manmohan Singh bows out after decade in power

Indian PM Manmohan Singh defended his decade-long record on Saturday as he resigned as prime minister a day after Narendra Modi led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a historic election victory.

The 81-year-old premier’s final years in power were marked by slowing economic growth as his government struggled to overcome charges of weak leadership and corruption.

After making a final televised address to the nation in the morning, India’s third-longest serving PM was driven to the presidency building in central New Delhi, where he tendered his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee.

“Today India is a far stronger country than it was a decade ago,” he said in a short and typically low-key speech, wearing his trademark blue turban. “I give you credit for it. We still need to work hard to take this country forward.”

The economist also sent his best wishes to his successor Narendra Modi.

“I am confident that India will emerge as a strong economy in the world, blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity,” Singh added.

The former finance minister, celebrated for pushing through pro-market reforms in the 1990s, will continue as a caretaker prime minister until 63-year-old Modi takes office sometime next week.

Singh believes historians will be kinder to him than contemporary critics who have savaged his recent performance in office, overshadowed by corruption scandals and policy paralysis.

Amid sniping from cabinet colleagues about his weak communication skills, Singh’s reputation took a further blow this month from an unflattering new book by a former aide titled “The Accidental Prime Minister”.

It portrayed him as timid and controlled by Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress party, who handpicked him in 2004 after the first of two back-to-back victories.

“I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office,” he said in his address.

“It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride.”

Figures from the Election Commission showed the BJP had secured 280 seats and was projected to win another two in the 543-member parliament, the first majority by a single party since 1984.

The Congress party, India’s national secular force that has ruled for all but 13 years since independence, was left obliterated, poised to win just 44 seats — a quarter of its tally in 2009.

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Manmohan Singh thanks country, wishes new government success in farewell address

In his last address to the nation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday acknowledged his debt to the country that empowered him, “an underprivileged child of Partition”, to occupy the high office of prime minister and wished the incoming government every success.

He said the just concluded national election “deepened the foundations of our democratic polity” and its judgement should be respected by all.

Hours before demitting office, Singh said, in a brief address in Hindi and English, he is confident about the future of India.

”I firmly believe that the emergence of India as a major powerhouse of the evolving global economy is an idea whose time has come. Blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity, this nation of ours can show the way forward to the world. Serving this nation has been my privilege. There is nothing more that I could ask for,” he said.

The prime minister, who has helmed two successive UPA governments since 2004, said when he was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the nation “I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing”.

”Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to.”

Remarking on the election results that have given the Congress its worst drubbing, Singh said: “Each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered. The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity.”

”As I have said on many occasions, my life and tenure in public office are an open book. I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation of ours.”

He said in the past 10 years of United Progressive Alliance rule, the country has “seen many successes and achievements that we should be proud of. Today, India is a far stronger country in every respect than it was a decade ago. I give credit for these successes to all of you. However, there is still vast latent development potential in our country and we must collectively work hard to realize it.”

”As I leave office, my abiding memory will be the love and kindness that I have always received from you. I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office. “

”It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride.”

”I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our nation.”

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Text of PM Manmohan Singh’s last address to the nation:

My Fellow Citizens,

I address you today for the last time as Prime Minister of India.

Ten years ago, when I was entrusted with this responsibility, I entered upon it with diligence as my tool, truth as my beacon and a prayer that I might always do the right thing.

Today, as I prepare to lay down office, I am aware that well before the final judgment that we all await from the Almighty, there is judgment in the court of public opinion that all elected officials and governments are required to submit themselves to.

Fellow citizens, each one of us should respect the judgement that you have delivered. The just concluded elections have deepened the foundations of our democratic polity.

As I have said on many occasions, my life and tenure in public office are an open book. I have always tried to do my best in serving this great nation of ours.

In the last ten years, we as a country have seen many successes and achievements that we should be proud of. Today, India is a far stronger country in every respect than it was a decade ago. I give credit for these successes to all of you. However, there is still vast latent development potential in our country and we must collectively work hard to realize it.

As I leave office, my abiding memory will be the love and kindness that I have always received from you. I owe everything to this country, this great land of ours where I, an underprivileged child of Partition, was empowered enough to rise and occupy high office. It is both a debt that I will never be able to repay and a decoration that I will always wear with pride.

Friends, I am confident about the future of India. I firmly believe that the emergence of India as a major powerhouse of the evolving global economy is an idea whose time has come. Blending tradition with modernity and unity with diversity, this nation of ours can show the way forward to the world. Serving this nation has been my privilege. There is nothing more that I could ask for.

I wish the incoming government every success as it embarks on its task and pray for even greater successes for our nation.

Thank you. Jai Hind.