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After being the favourite target of his government’s misdoings and scams that rocked the Parliament during his term, former prime minister <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> has been a man who is out of sight, but not out of minds of people yet. Not at least that of the investigating agencies. 
 
There have been those rarest of rare occasions when Manmohan Singh spoken about in the media especially after his retirement from active politics and his life, presumed to be going peacefully, at a low profile residence given to him in Delhi. 
 The latest news on the former prime minister, who led a hectic life as the leading man of UPA through the entire decade before the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> and its allies were trounced by Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 general elections, was that he was ‘visited’ by officials from CBI in connection with the coal block allocation scam that cost him both his as well as his government’s reputation. Owing to the sheer size of corruption that is alleged to have taken place, Coalgate will linger on people’s minds for a long time to come. 
 
Last time former prime minister Manmohan Singh grabbed headlines was when he was accorded the highest national order by the government of Japan, which acknowledged his contribution towards strengthening ties between both the countries. 
 
Another ‘little known’ fact that didn’t really make a huge noise was his decision to adopt Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchayat under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchayat is located in Kamrup district of Assam, from where Manmohan Singh represents the Rajya Sabha. 
 
How is the workaholic politician and economist spending his retirement days? Going by his composure which remained undeterred by the most testing times his government went through while wading through difficult times, Manmohan Singh still presents a picture that involves work primarily. Only, now he gets to stretch his time as much as possible, since it is completely under ‘his’ control. 
 Earlier, as a PM, he met visitors barely for 10 minutes at his official residence. But, at a home that was given to him as a matter of entitlement for all former PMs, Manmohan Singh spends time attending meetings, and meeting people from various walks of life at his residence #3, Motilal Nehru road in New Delhi. This house was earlier occupied by former Kerala governor and Congress loyalist <keyword id="5267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sheila-Dikshit">Sheila Dikshit</keyword>. Having moved into this humble abode, when compared to the sprawling residence he occupied as the Prime Minister, Singh spends most of his time reading. 
 
In fact, books were among the first few things that were packed and moved after he announced his retirement and decided on staying in this house. There’s nothing very ornate or flashy about the house that has now become home for the retired politician, who still commands a large amount of respect from people within and outside the party. 
 
He still enjoys a large amount of formidable security at this house, which is spread across two-and-half acres of land and gives him protected area to go for his favourite activity, apart from reading – long walks. 
 
Industrialists, economists and visitors – all get some share of his time much more than what they got earlier. Now, the meetings with people stretch up to half an hour, than those touch-and-go meetings that happened in a matter of few minutes when he was a busy man. 
 
Having been less of a politician and more of an economist, Manmohan Singh is still a force to reckon with for all the liberal measures he took during his tenure. He was re-elected as Rajya Sabha member last year, for additional six year tenure. 
 
Image: indiatimes

Manmohan Singh: Lost In Time?

<keyword id="605544" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahmud-Jibril">Mahmud Jibril</keyword>, the former head of the Libyan rebel government that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, died on Sunday of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, his party said. Jibril, 68, died in Cairo where he had been hospitalised for two weeks, said Khaled al-Mrimi, secretary of the <keyword id="9011114" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="alliance-of-national-forces">Alliance of National Forces</keyword> party founded by Jibril in 2012. He had been admitted to the Ganzouri Specialised Hospital in Cairo on March 21 after suffering from cardiac arrest and three days later tested positive for coronavirus, hospital director Hisham Wagdy said. "He started... recovering the day before yesterday but then he began deteriorating again", Wagdy told AFP in Cairo, confirming that Jibril died at 2:00 pm. Jibril headed the rebel <keyword id="641894" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Transitional-Council">National Transitional Council</keyword> (NTC), the interim government during the NATO-backed rebellion that toppled and killed Gaddafi. He had been an economic advisor to the Gaddafi regime in its final years, before joining the revolution in 2011 and briefly serving as premier.Jibril resigned three days after Gaddafi was captured and killed when NTC fighters overran his hometown Sirte on October 20, 2011. In the early days of the Libyan uprising, Jibril made several trips abroad to rally European and US support for the rebels against Gaddafi. In 2012, after the veteran leader was ousted and killed, Jibril stood in the country's first ever democratic elections and his party won the vote but failed to clinch a majority in parliament which chose an independent candidate to become prime minister. Amid the chaos and violence that erupted in the following years, Jibril left Libya to live abroad. Libya, now divided between a UN-recognised government based in Tripoli and a rival administration in the country's east, announced its first death from coronavirus earlier this week. Health authorities said an 85-year-old woman was confirmed to have had COVID-19 on examination after her death, without giving further details.The UN-recognised Government of National Accord which controls the west of the country has officially recorded 10 cases. No cases have been declared in the south and east, which are largely under the control of the rival administration supported by military strongman <keyword id="2245033" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Khalifa-Haftar">Khalifa Haftar</keyword> who has been battling to seize Tripoli. Wagdy, the hospital director in Cairo, said that Jibril was in and out of consciousness during his time in the hospital's intensive care unit, where he had been quarantined since his admission. Mrimi said that Jibril had appeared in stable conditions in recent days "and was even getting ready to leave the hospital" before his condition deteriorated again. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/queen-delivers-message-of-resolve-in-special-covid-19-address/articleshow/75000311.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Queen delivers message of resolve in special Covid-19 address</a>

Libya's former PM Mahmud Jibril dies of coronavirus in Egypt

HYDERABAD: The year was 1992. So engrossed was the nation with economic liberalization that nothing else was supposed to matter. In the least, the wedding of <keyword id="2048745" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anupama-Priyadarshini">Anupama Priyadarshini</keyword> to her 24-year-old beau, <keyword id="276564" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Satya-Nadella">Satya Nadella</keyword>. 
 But then, this low-key family affair in New Delhi eventually ended up becoming a talking point, thanks to an illustrious guest who decided to turn up at the venue uninvited. It was the then <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> P V <keyword id="6358441" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narasimha-Rao">Narasimha Rao</keyword>. 
 
"They (the families) had planned a simple event without fanfare. But Rao found out about it and gatecrashed. He even scolded them (his two prized secretaries) for not inviting him," recalled Anupama's cousin Dinesh S Sastry, who shuttles between Washington DC and San Francisco, over e-mails from the US. "This just shows how humble the families were," Sastry repeatedly appeared to stress, all through his fond recollections of that day over two decades ago. 
 
His "uncle" (the husband of his mother's first cousin) K R Venugopal, Anupama's father, was then secretary to the PM, in-charge of Kashmir affairs and social development, while Nadella's father, B N Yugandhar, was special secretary to the PM. 
 
"Even during their days in Seattle thereafter, this inherited simplicity did not leave their side," Sastry, a trustee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), wrote about his Andhra food-crazy brother-in-law and wife who frequented his parents' home there. 
 Nadella's sincerity back then, when he shuttled between Seattle and University of Chicago for his MBA course, was hard not to notice. "He always tried to avail of discounted tickets," Sastry shared, through one of his numerous mails, packed with pride. Pride also because he strongly believes he was one of the first few to have predicted Satya's journey to the <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> boss' chair, as early as last summer when the now CEO was named the company's executive vice president, Cloud &amp; Enterprise. 
 
Even then, like now, he had taken to Twitter to congratulate his industrious cousin, who, fascinatingly loves to a shake leg, every so often. "They (Satya and Anupama) went dancing over weekends sometimes in Seattle. Sad, they might not be able to do that anymore," Sastry added as a footnote about the happy duo with three "music-loving, talented children in grade school". 
 But his respect for Venugopal uncle appeared the strongest. The uncle managed to floor former US First Lady <keyword id="3043" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Hillary-Clinton">Hillary Clinton</keyword> during her trip to India in 1995. "They (the Clintons) met both Yugandhar and Venugopal to discuss social development of women and children, along with Kashmir affairs. During lunch, my uncle quoted George Bernard Shaw on marriage and that left a lasting impression on Hillary," Sastry shared. 
 
Given this glittering legacy, perhaps the smitten cousin is not too off the mark when he writes, "...couldn't happen to better people", in praise of his 'Big Brother' and the latest feather in his cap.

When Former PM PV Narasimha Rao 'Gatecrashed' Satya Nadella's Wedding

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">BBC/ScreenshotFormer Prime Minister John Major was speaking on The BBC's "Andrew Marr Show."</div></div></div>Former <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> Prime Minister John Major has slammed the campaign to get Britain out of the European Union as "deceitful," "misleading," and "nonsense on stilts."Speaking on The BBC's "Andrew Marr Show" on Sunday, Major said he was "angry at the way British people are being misled" by the Leave campaign."This is so important, for once, I'm not prepared to give the benefit of the doubt by the people. I'm going to say what I think and I think this is a deceitful campaign. And, in terms of what they are saying about immigration - a really depressing and awful campaign. They are misleading people to an extraordinary extent," he added.Major said members of the Leave campaign had made "utterly false" suggestions that if Turkey was to join the EU, <a href="http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/uk_pays_1_8_billion_to_help_albania_and_turkey_join_the_eu">the entire Turkish population of 88 million people would want to migrate to Britain</a> if the UK voted Remain.He said it was highly unlikely Turkey would be in the European Union in the next decade or two and even if Turkey did join, Britain sits outside Schengen, the area of free movement."And in any event, even if they do, is there really any suggestion that all 88 million Turks would want to come here, apparently for a higher national living wage? On one hand, migrants are depressing wages, on the other hand, they are flooding here to get higher national wages," Major said."It's nonsense. Nonsense on stilts."He also criticised the Leave campaign's suggestion that the NHS would be in better shape if Britain left the EU as "fatuous and a deceit."He added that the NHS is as safe with Leave campaigners Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, and Ian Duncan Smith as a "pet hamster with a hungry python."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI6RMYJCG&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=718#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCI6RMYJCG&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=718&amp;POPUPPN=46&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1FFG1E9L">REUTERS/Darren Staples</a>Boris Johnson on the campaign trail for the Vote Leave group.</div></div></div>"People are being invited to vote for a pig in a poke," Major said, before turning his attention squarely on the claim on Johnson's campaign bus that had suggested Britain sends £350 million a week to Brussels.<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-referendum-statistics-regulator-loses-patience-with-leave-campaign-over-350m-a-week-eu-cost-a7051756.html"> That figure has been widely-contested</a> because it doesn't include the rebate Britain also receives.Major said: "I'm not personalising this, though I find it very difficult to understand how he can justify the £350 million that he has on his battle bus. If they cant be straightforward and honest on a clear cut matter of fact like that, upon what else can we trust them?"Johnson later appeared on the same show saying Major's suggestions that his campaign bus' numbers were incorrect and that the wider Leave campaign was, in Major's assessment, "deceitful" were "not true." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-washington-dc-president-white-house-kalorama-neighborhood-2016-5">Here's the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will reportedly live in after the White House</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9jc3ZxMzE6QOCQ6ydkxJ3LsB84vAV-S-" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Former PM John Major slams the Leave campaign as 'deceitful' and 'nonsense on stilts'

Former <keyword id="6373366" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Japanese" source="Orion">Japanese</keyword> Prime Minister <keyword id="590894" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shinzo-abe" source="Orion">Shinzo Abe</keyword> died on Friday after he was shot while addressing an election rally in the city of <keyword id="26255" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nara" source="Orion">Nara</keyword>, according to state media. "Officials say former Japanese Prime Minister #Abe Shinzo has been confirmed #dead. He was reportedly #shot during a speech on Friday in the city of #Nara, near Kyoto," official broadcaster NHK tweeted. According to NHK, the attack took place at around 11.30 a.m. (local time) near the Yamatosaidaiji Station in <keyword id="2623865" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nara-city" source="Orion">Nara city</keyword> while the 67-year-old former leader was making a speech for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate's election campaign. The police said that <keyword id="6373177" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="abe" source="Orion">Abe</keyword> was shot twice, with the second shot hitting him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/toyota-urban-cruiser-hyryder-vs-hyundai-creta-comparison-of-features-and-specifications/slidelist/92744997.cms">Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder vs Hyundai Creta: Features and specifications compared</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/the-post-pandemic-work-space-would-be-greener-and-more-tailor-made/articleshow/92744483.cms">The post-pandemic work space would be greener and more ‘tailor-made’</a>

67-year-old former Japan PM Shinzo Abe dies after being shot twice at an election rally

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan was shot and injured at a rally on Thursday.</li><li>Videos show the aftermath, including a crowd member appearing to intercept the alleged shooter.</li></ul>Videos show the chaotic aftermath of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/imran-khan-former-pakistan-pm-shot-leg-reports-2022-11">former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan being shot</a> at a political rally on Thursday.A video posted to the Twitter account of his PTI party showed the former prime minister waving at the crowd moments after he was shot, not appearing seriously hurt.Khan can be seen emerging to rapturous chanting from his supporters. He seemed to be physically supported by aides."Imran Khan was shot in the leg but was stable while being taken to hospital. He [waved] at supporters too," the tweet said.<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/shots-fired-near-convoy-former-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-media-2022-11-03/">Reuters</a> cited local media reports that Khan was shot in the foot, and was "out of danger."Other videos appeared to show a gunman being intercepted by members of the crowd.<a href="https://twitter.com/Naya__Pakistan_/status/1588138151305953280">One video</a> appeared to show the gun being wrestled away from a man by a bystander. It was posted online by Pakistani media outlet Naya Pakistan.Another video posted on social media appears to show the same incident from a <a href="https://twitter.com/Naya__Pakistan_/status/1588136379854327809">different angle. </a>The same man can be seen being <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIPoliticsss/status/1588141455490572288">carried like a hero</a> by Khan's supporters in another video aired by Pakistani outlet ARY News. Fawad Chaudhry, a spokesperson for the PTI, told Reuters that crowd members had held back the gunman. "If the shooter had not been stopped by people there, the entire PTI leadership would have been wiped out," Chaudhry said.Chaudry added that he believed it was a "clear assassination attempt" on Khan, who was removed from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote.Khan was shot in Wazirabad, where he was leading a protest march to Islamabad as part of efforts to call new elections in the country.

Videos show the chaotic aftermath of the shooting of former Pakistani PM Imran Khan

On August 16th, a day after India’s 71st Independence Day, Atal Bihari <keyword id="40921" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vajpayee">Vajpayee</keyword>, the former Prime Minister, passed away in New Delhi at the age of 93. Vajpayee led the central government from 1998 to 2004, and till date is the only Indian Prime Minister from a party other than the Congress to complete a full term. The former <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> leader is set to be joined in this regard by current PM Narendra Modi, when the latter completes his term in May next year. Vajpayee has long been credited with moderating the BJP’s political position with his centrist <keyword id="35497" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="policies">policies</keyword> and socioeconomic reforms, thereby offering voters a viable national alternative to the Congress. A nine-time member of the Lok Sabha and two-time Rajya Sabha MP, he leaves a lasting legacy, and will be remembered for a slew of progressive and bold policies. Here are five of them:- Privatisation Vajpayee made privatisation a key component of his economic agenda when he set up the disinvestment ministry in 1999. Over the course of his tenure as PM, he oversaw the divestment of government holdings in more than 30 non-strategic public-sector companies such as VSNL, Maruti, Hindustan Zinc and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. What makes this policy all the more impressive is that Vajpayee had to overcome a considerable amount of opposition, not only from rival parties but from within his own Cabinet to implement it. Nuclearisation In May 1998, a month after his government came to power, Vajpayee ordered the commencement of five nuclear tests in Rajasthan’s Pokhran district. The move, which signalled India’s nuclear ambitions, drew the ire of Western powers, but it also highlighted India’s ability to defend itself from its neighbour Pakistan, which was building its own nuclear capability at the time. He always maintained that India would not use nuclear weapons first, stating that they would never be “weapons of aggression”. <keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom">Telecom</keyword> Upon his death, Vajpayee was hailed as “the father of modern telecom in India” by leaders in the industry. Under his National Telecom policy, which was introduced in 1999, Vajpayee opened up the sector and implemented a number of structural reforms such as making mobile service providers offer services on a revenue share basis as opposed to a fixed-fee arrangement. This led to a reduction in call rates, a dramatic surge in mobile subscribers and encouraged competition among telecom operators. Roads and infrastructure While Vajpayee was prime minister, he launched a number of massive infrastructure projects to develop India’s roads and railway network. His government approved and funded the operations of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which completed the first phase of the Delhi Metro in 2006. He also championed the Golden Quadrilateral scheme, a project to link all four of India’s major urban centers - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata - by highways. Most importantly, though, was his Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna scheme to improve road connectivity in India’s rural regions. <keyword id="45865" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indo-Pak">Indo-Pak</keyword> relations and Kargil Vajpayee made a number of steps to cement ties with Pakistan, such as the establishment of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999. He took the bus to Lahore and met with Nawaz Sharif, who was the leader of Pakistan at the time. Their meeting culminated in the signing of the Lahore Treaty, which outlined the country’s plans to steer clear of nuclear warfare. The goodwill was shortlived, however. A full-scale war took place in Kargil the following June. In July 2001, Vajpayee pushed for a peace summit with his new Pakistani counterpart, Pervez Musharraf in Agra. An agreement never materialised over the course of the summit, but not for his lack of trying.

Here are 5 policies that former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be remembered for

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">Peter Muhly/AFPPicture taken on March 6, 2014 shows Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of Ukraine's Batkivshchyna Party, addressing the media during a press conference at the European People's Party (EPP) Congress at the Dublin Convention Centre in Ireland</div></div>Russian president Vladimir Putin has "lost Ukraine for good" with his move to annex Crimea, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Friday in her first live television appearance since returning to the country.
Tymoshenko, who spent three years in jail on what she said were politically motivated charges before being freed last month, appealed to fellow Ukrainians to be ready to fight in the event of a Russian invasion.
"Putin has lost Ukraine forever after declaring war on us," said the leader of the 2004 pro-Western Orange Revolution as she appeared on a live talk show in her trademark blonde plaits.
"Putin is Ukraine's enemy number one who seized our land with weapons."
"We must be ready for Putin to cross the red line," she added, saying around 100,000 Russian troops were massed on the Ukrainian border.
Kiev has expressed fears Moscow may venture into eastern Ukraine, home to a large Russian-speaking population, after seizing the Crimean peninsula.
But Tymoshenko insisted any such attempt would not succeed, saying Putin was "not the first dictator to behave in a fascist manner" and risked going the same way as other "deposed dictators".
The forceful 53-year-old was jailed after losing to Viktor Yanukovych by a razor-thin margin in a 2010 presidential poll.
Tymoshenko walked free on February 23 having served three years of a seven-year sentence for abuse of power, a charge she has always denied.
She left Kiev shortly afterwards for Germany, where she remained until this week, receiving treatment for severe back pain that forced her to use a wheelchair.
A telegenic but steely figure, she is closely associated with the corrupt and tumultuous years that followed the collapse of Soviet rule in the 1990s, dogged by suspicions of personal enrichment and opportunism.
<div class="nc_footer">
Copyright (2014) AFP. All rights reserved.
</div>

Former Ukraine PM: 'We Must Be Ready For Putin To Cross The Red Line'

NEW DELHI: Dr Manmohan Singh’s legacy came under yet another round of intense attack with former <keyword id="6356851" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="CAG">CAG</keyword> Vinod Rai alleging that the former <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">prime minister</keyword> was aware of major scandals as they unfolded, refuting claims Singh was not fully aware of the machinations that resulted in humungous loss to the public exchequer and mauled the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> party’s electoral fortunes. 
 The former CAG’s revelations challenge the defence of Singh that the <keyword id="6446767" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="2G-scam">2G scam</keyword> was perpetuated by A Raja using the political necessity of Congress to humour DMK, thus fastening the mega swindle to the reformist PM. 
 
Rai, whose book “Not Just An Accountant” is set for release in the next few days, claimed that Dr Singh was alerted by his senior cabinet minister Kamal Nath about the brewing 2G scam. 
 
Adding credibility to Rai’s claim, Kamal Nath admitted that he had cautioned Dr Singh against 2G allocations. “I wrote to the Prime Minister that I am hearing all sorts of things are going on in 2G allocation. The PM chose to do nothing,” Nath told Times Now. The former commerce minister said he feels that had Dr Singh intervened “things would have been different for the Congress”. However, there was no point flogging a dead horse, said Nath even as he emphasized that “A Raja was prosecuted for what he did”, and that Rai should not resort to sensationalism to boost the sales of his book. 
 
 
 
The former CAG also claimed that he was under pressure to drop the name of the former civil aviation minister from the federal auditor’s report on the controversial purchase of aircraft for public carriers. He said the then minister, Praful Patel, had “nudged” the public carriers to go in for the large-scale purchase. 
 
“All hell broke loose when the draft report reached the ministry and bureaucrats of all hues tried to prompt the CAG to drop the word “nudge”. 
 
Patel denied the charge saying that he never met Rai. 
 Rai’s is only the latest book from those who have had a ringside view of Dr Singh’s prime ministership, and who later chose to record the unpleasant realities of the PMO under him and the <keyword id="26374" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UPA-government">UPA government</keyword>. Dr Singh’s former media advisor Sanjaya Baru, former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh and former coal secretary PC Parakh have all recorded the makings of many scandals that have marked the UPA decade, portraying the former PM as the leader who was not in control or unwilling to intervene. 
 Elaborating on what he had told TOI exclusively on August 24, Rai on Thursday told Time Now that he was approached by three Congress MPs – former <keyword id="6356398" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Law-Minister">Law minister</keyword> Ashwani Kumar who had to resign for allegedly pressuring the CBI to dilute PMO’s role in the Coalgate scam, <keyword id="56431" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sanjay-Nirupam">Sanjay Nirupam</keyword> and Sandeep Dikshit – to drop the name of the Prime Minister from the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation. 
 
 
Manmohan Singh’s legacy as PM came under yet another round of intense attack with former CAG Vinod Rai alleging that the former prime minister was aware of major scandals as they unfolded. 
 
“I mentioned in the book that after the PAC meeting on the 2G, Congress MPs did tell me that keep the PM out of this,” Rai said. 
 
Reacting to Rai’s claim, Sanjay Nirupam said the former CAG was lying. “I have never spoken to him,” Nirupam said. 
 
Rai said the irregularities in allocation of 2G licences date back to the tenure of Raja’s predecessor and his DMK colleague Dayanidhi Maran in the telecom ministry. “And we had evidence of the licence being given out at particular prices not only from Raja's time but before also from the previous minister who was also from the DMK. We found that there was a track record that the previous minister had started in a particular way and Raja followed that way. But Raja kept informing the PM what he was planning to do,” he said. 
 
Rai said then PM Manmohan Singh’s own cabinet colleagues were advising him against the licence allocation in arbitrary manner. “Like his own cabinet colleagues were saying that lets discuss this in a GoM. The finance ministry was also saying that lets bring it to a group of ministers. The law ministry had also advised him to do that. But somehow it did not take place,” he said. 
 
 
 
<keyword id="204796" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Former-Union">Former Union</keyword> minister Kamal Nath (L) has claimed that he had cautioned Manmohan Singh against 2G allocations and slammed the former PM's inaction over the issue. 
 
The former CAG said former PM had enough time to stop the allocations. “It could have been stopped because between this letter of 26th December and 10th of January when the LOIs were actually issued, there was a fortnight’s time,” he said. 
 
“The buck stops at the PM's desk in any parliamentary democracy. He is the CEO of the country. He can stop, or he can initiate, both. I have written in the book that he probably chose not to stop,” Rai said.

Manmohan Singh Knew Of 2G Scam As It Unfolded, Ex-CAG Vinod Rai Says

Former <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> has always been known to be the ‘silent PM’. All throughout his 10-year tenure at the helm of affairs as the Prime Minister of India, from 2004 to 2014, the Prime Minister was accused of not interacting more with either the media or the citizens of the country. Infact, things became too hot to handle once the scams started coming out into the open. First the <keyword id="6446767" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="2G-scam">2G scam</keyword> in 2010, followed by the CWG scam and then the coal scam, severely marred the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> party’s reputation and did irreversible damage to even Singh’s reputation, who was till then hailed as the ‘cleanest politician’ and was extended wide acclaim for having brought around the very first round of economic liberalisation to India in 1991 as the <keyword id="6355261" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Finance-minister">Finance Minister</keyword> (under the aegis of Narasimha Rao). 
 Today, just a day after fresh allegations were levelled against him by former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman, Pradeep Baijal, Singh told a gathering of young, budding politicians of NSUI that most of the claims being made by the <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and the <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> government were all false. 
 
Here, we list down for you the top 5 digs the former Prime Minister leveled at all the allegations that have been made against him, his leadership and his family, in an extremely candid address. 
 
1) Manmohan Singh said, “The UPA has always fought against corruption. We will continue to do so,” and went on to say, “I have never used the office to enrich the coffers of my family, or that of my friends or that of my political party.” 
 2) On the claims that the BJP government has been making about the reforms the NDA government has brought to the economy within a year of its coming to power, Singh said, “We have a duty to our citizens of telling the truth. All of us have an obligation to give out the correct information to our people. You can’t make false talk about the <keyword id="26374" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UPA-government">UPA government</keyword>.” 
 3) He also claimed that most of the ‘achievements’ that the BJP government was laying claim to was in fact, revamped versions of schemes that were launched by the UPA regime, a claim that many an expert has in the past reiterated. He said, “Be it the <keyword id="6383794" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="national-Rural-Health-Mission">National Rural Health Mission</keyword> or the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. These were schemes that were launched during the UPA regimen and that have been subsequently revamped and relaunched by the BJP government.” 
 
4) Singh went on to say, “All the talk about improvement in the economy that the BJP is talking about. Just go around and see for yourself and look at the data. Investment is not increasing. Farming sector has seen no increase. 65% of our country is represented by the rural population and they are in distress. When over 65% of a country’s population is in distress, how can you claim that the country is progressing?” 
 5) Singh also took a dig at Modi’s pet project, The Make in India. He said, “What is this Make in India? This is nothing but a revamped version of the UPA’s new National Manufacturing Policy, under which we had promised to increase the share of manufacturing to <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword> to 25% by 2025. The BJP’s claims are no different.”

5 uncharacteristically strong digs that Former
PM Manmohan Singh took at Narendra Modi and the BJP Govt

Leaders from across the political spectrum, including from Congress, National Conference and <keyword id="6358821" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="shiv-sena" source="Orion">Shiv Sena</keyword> (UBT), wished Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> on his birthday. PM Modi turned 73 on Sunday. "Wishing PM Narendra Modi a happy birthday," Congress leader <keyword id="5268" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="rahul-gandhi" source="Orion">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> said in a post on X. Congress President Mallikarju <keyword id="65133" type="General" weightage="40" keywordseo="Kharge" source="Orion">Kharge</keyword>, in his post on 'X' also wished PM Modi good health and long life. "My best wishes to PM Shri Narendra Modi ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life," Kharge said. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also extended his greetings. "Birthday greetings Hon'ble PM @narendramodi ji. Wish you good health and happiness." Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also conveyed his greetings. National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah extended his best wishes. "I want to extend my best wishes and I pray for his (PM Modi) long life," he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut wished PM Modi good health and a long life and said he prays to God to give PM Modi strength to deal with issues such as Manipur, Kashmir and inflation "I wish him good health and long life...He has led the nation in difficult times...Today there are several issues in front of the country such as Manipur, Kashmir, inflation and unemployment...He will continue to face such situations in the coming year...I pray to God to give him strength to deal with these issues as long as he is in power," Raut said. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said that PM Modi will celebrate his next birthday as 'former PM' of the country. "...He may celebrate this birthday as the Prime Minister, I wish him health and happiness...But next birthday, he will celebrate as former Prime Minister...," Tiwari told reporters here.

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