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• Manmohan Singh is the current Prime Minister of India, and the first Sikh to be elected to the office. He made a name for himself during his term as Finance Minister, in which he organized nation-wide economic reform. Singh was appointed Prime Minister after Sonia Gandhi declined to accept the position.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: September 26, 1932 in [[Gah], Pakistan
  2. Political party: Indian National Congress (INC)
  3. 14th Prime Minister of India
  4. Assumed office: May 22, 2004
  5. Preceded by: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
  6. Previous Finance Minister under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao
  7. In office: 1991 - 1996
  8. Wife: Gursharan Kaur
  9. Known for successful economic reforms as Finance Minister
  10. Appointed—not elected—Prime Minister after Sonia Gandhi refused the position

• Economic Prowess

  Singh studied economics at both Cambridge and Oxford University. As Finance Minister, his reforms bolstered a previously-sagging Indian economy. Throughout his five-year term, the national economy increased annually by 7%.BBC: India's architect of reforms (October 14, 2005)

• Prime Minister Appointment

  Singh was not elected to by Prime Minister. Rather, he was appointed the position after Sonia Gandhi, who was the elected head of the Indian National Congress, chose to step down. He was chosen mainly due to collected, slightly reserved personal image, which is viewed by some as beneficial for the nation's image as a whole,India Daily: Manmohan Singh ranked as the best PM ever in India by international think tank survey (August 9, 2006) and by others as a sign of weaknessBlog post: Why Is Manmohan Singh So Helpless? (October 26, 2007)

• Related Mahalo Pages

  India | Indian National Congress | Sonia Gandhi | Narendra Modi | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Sikhism

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