CM Revanth Reddy Seeks Bharat Ratna for Manmohan Singh

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has urged the Centre to confer the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, on former Prime Minister and eminent economist Dr Manmohan Singh, recognising his contribution to India’s economic transformation and his role in the creation of Telangana. He also called for a suitable knowledge centre in New Delhi to preserve and showcase Dr Singh’s legacy.

Revanth Reddy made the appeal while inaugurating a Manmohan Singh Memorial Park developed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) at Wipro Circle in Hyderabad’s Financial District. He also unveiled a statue of the former Prime Minister at the park.

The event was attended by Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu and Adluri Laxman Kumar, former Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana, former judge Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, former economic adviser Mohan Guruswamy, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, public representatives and senior officials.

Recalling Dr Singh’s contribution to India’s economic reforms, the Chief Minister said he played a key role in introducing major economic liberalisation measures under the leadership of then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, at a time when the country was facing a severe financial crisis. The policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, he said, brought significant changes to the Indian economy.

Revanth Reddy also highlighted several major rights-based laws and welfare measures introduced during Dr Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister, including the Right to Education Act, Right to Information Act, rural employment guarantee programme, Food Security Act, legislation concerning tribal rights and the land acquisition and rehabilitation law.

He noted that Dr Singh had served the country in several important capacities, including as an economic adviser, Reserve Bank of India Governor, Union Finance Minister and Prime Minister. The memorial, he said, was intended to ensure that his contribution remained familiar to Gen Z and future generations.

The Chief Minister said the location of the memorial in the Financial District was particularly appropriate, given the presence of major institutions and global companies. He said Dr Singh’s signature on the Telangana State formation Bill had also been preserved at the park as a reminder of his role in the state’s creation.

Revanth Reddy said Telangana’s history could be viewed through two significant milestones liberation from the Nizam’s rule and the subsequent creation of a separate Telangana state. He said the people of Telangana would continue to remember the contributions of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to the statehood process.

Calling for the recognition of Dr Singh’s contribution beyond political considerations, the Chief Minister questioned why there should be any objection to awarding him the Bharat Ratna. He urged Telangana MPs to raise the demand in Parliament and said a national memorial in Delhi would be a fitting tribute to the former Prime Minister’s public service and economic legacy.