'An era comes to an end’: Manmohan Singh retires from Rajya Sabha, Malikarjun kharge pens down riveting letter

In a letter to former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge declared that Singh's retirement signified the "end of an era."

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Bhaskar Chakravorty
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In a letter addressed to Manmohan Singh, the veteran member of the Congress party and former prime minister of India, Mallikarjun Kharge, the head of the party, concluded Singh's 33-year legislative career on Tuesday by retiring from the Rajya Sabha. Singh's retirement was described by Kharge as the "end of an era." In addition, he praised the departing leader for his services to Indian politics and the country. 

Singh in politics!

Singh, who was appointed finance minister in the Rao government in 1991 and was first elected to the Rajya Sabha, had unsuccessfully run from South Delhi in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP's Vijay Kumar Malhotra emerged victorious. With the exception of a two-month hiatus in 2019 when he was awarded a Rajasthani Rajya Sabha seat, he served in the upper house continuously.

Early life

From October 1, 1991, to June 14, 2019, Singh served five consecutive terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Assam. Following a brief pause, Singh was elected to the House again from Rajasthan. He joined the state on August 20, 2019, as a member. In the Rajya Sabha, Singh led the opposition as its leader from March 21, 1998, till May 21, 2004.

BJP and Manmohan 

The BJP has publicly accused him of leading a corrupt government on numerous occasions. The party also referred to him as "MaunMohan Singh," claiming he remained silent about dishonest cabinet members. But Singh had hoped that "history would be kinder to me than the opposition parties in Parliament, or the present media."

Previously on ex-PM 

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised his position in the upper chamber and declared that his efforts would live on in history. Additionally, Modi stated that Singh occasionally used a wheelchair to cast his ballot in an effort to support democracy.