Yes, history is kinder: In Manmohan Singh tributes, throwback to his iconic quote

Manmohan Singh death: The remark by Manmohan Singh, which came amid massive scandals and allegations of 'weak leadership', gained resonance following his death at the age of 92. 

In Short

• Leaders use Manmohan Singh's famous remark to pay tributes
• Singh made the remark amid scandals and personal attacks
• The former PM died on Thursday after prolonged illness

"Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly," said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, referencing Manmohan Singh's own words during his last press conference as Prime Minister. The remark by Singh, which came amid massive scandals and allegations of "weak leadership", has gained resonance following his death at the age of 92.

It has indeed stood the test of time as leaders across party lines used the remark to pay tribute to the enduring legacy of the Congress stalwart whose bold economic reforms in 1991 changed the course of India's growth trajectory.

"'I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament,' Dr Manmohan Singh said in 2014. Just ten years later, he is already being proven right," said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

BRS leader KT Rama Rao also used Singh's famous remark to praise the renowned economist. "A silent architect of modern India, a visionary, a true intellectual, and a gracious human being! History will indeed be kinder and grateful to you," he said.

"Truly, in his own words, history will treat him far more kindly, and respectfully, than his own times perhaps did," emphasised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

THE STORY BEHIND 'HISTORY WILL BE KINDER' REMARK

But, what made Manmohan Singh utter the remarks towards the fag end of the UPA-II regime? Even though Singh's first term as Prime Minister was unblemished, his second was marred by high-profile scandals. Despite having a quiet demeanour, Singh weathered many crises such as the alleged coal and the 2G spectrum scams that tarnished the UPA-II tenure.

In fact, in March 2015, Singh was summoned by a special CBI court as an accused in a case linked to the coal scam (better known as Coalgate) where it was alleged that mining rights were assigned without transparency to private firms. The CBI later said there was no "prosecutable evidence".

In the lead-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Singh was also subject to personal attacks, with the opposition labelling him as "silent PM", "accidental PM", "remote control PM". Singh as Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi as UPA chairperson led to a perception that he was being undermined.

It was amid this brouhaha that Manmohan Singh addressed his last press conference in January 2014, asserting that his leadership was not weak.

"I do not believe that I have been a weak Prime Minister... I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or, for that matter, the Opposition in Parliament... Given the political compulsions, I have done the best I could do," Singh said before walking into his political sunset.

Even after the BJP stormed to power in 2014, Singh has never remained silent and has spoken out aggressively in his own way against the policies of the Narendra Modi government, be it demonetisation or GST.

For a man having no background in politics, rising amidst odds to becoming the RBI Governor, Finance Minister and then the Prime Minister, there is no debate over Singh's place in history.

The avalanche of tributes to one of India's tallest leaders shows that history has indeed been kinder to Dr Manmohan Singh.