New Delhi, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s legacy will ultimately be judged kindly by history, describing him as a “quiet, gentle, but a most consequential” leader whose decade in office brought major economic, social and institutional changes.
In a column published in The Indian Express, Gandhi referred to the Supreme Court’s July 29 judgment upholding the CBI’s clean chit to Singh in the alleged coal block allocation scam. She said the court also criticised the trial court for rejecting the CBI’s closure reports and making adverse observations against the former Prime Minister without “compelling reason”.
Gandhi described the judgment as the conclusion of what she called a “witchhunt” against Singh and alleged that a coordinated campaign against him involved sections of the bureaucracy, media, judiciary, civil society, RSS and BJP.
She also criticised the Narendra Modi government, alleging misuse of investigative agencies such as the ED and CBI, and accused it of selectively pursuing corruption cases against political opponents. Gandhi cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 Rajya Sabha remark about Singh “bathing with a raincoat on”, calling it an undignified attack.
Defending Singh’s governance record, Gandhi highlighted the economic growth during the UPA years, including India’s resilience during the 2008 global financial crisis. She credited his government with helping reduce poverty and facilitating a shift towards higher-productivity employment.
She also listed the Right to Education, OBC reservations in centrally funded higher educational institutions, the Forest Rights Act, MGNREGA and the National Food Security Act, 2013, among the major social initiatives of the Singh government.
Gandhi said Singh’s tenure also strengthened transparency and democratic institutions through the Right to Information Act and greater accountability to Parliament and the media. She cited his more than 100 unscripted press conferences and the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement as examples of his political courage and international statesmanship.
Recalling Singh’s belief in India’s economic potential, social justice and democratic values, Gandhi said his integrity, scholarship and decency were deeply missed.
She concluded by recalling Singh’s January 2014 prediction and said its significance was becoming increasingly evident. “History will indeed remember him kindly as a quiet, gentle, but a most consequential prime minister,” she wrote.
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