Former India PM mourned in state funeral

India has mourned one of its oldest prime ministers, Manmohan Singh, with a state funeral in Delhi.

Singh led the country from 2004 to 2014 and was seen as the pioneer of economic liberalization in India. He died on Thursday at the age of 92.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present at the event on Saturday. He said that Singh is one of the most popular leaders in the country.

Mourners turned out in the capital to pay their respects as Singh’s coffin, accompanied by an honor guard, made its way through the city to the crematorium.

His eldest daughter lit the funeral pyre in the presence of Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and senior officials of Singh’s Congress Party.

Foreign dignitaries such as Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful were also present.

Singh received full state honors in a ceremony that included a 21-gun salute.

After his death on Thursday night, the government announced seven days of national mourning.

Paying tribute shortly after his death, Modi said Singh’s “wisdom and humility were always evident” in their conversations and that he “worked hard to improve people’s lives” as Prime Minister.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who was also present at the funeral, said he had lost a “helper and mentor”.

In foreign contributions, US President Joe Biden said his country’s “unprecedented partnership” with India would not have been possible without Singh’s “brilliant vision and political courage”.

“He was a true statesman. A dedicated public servant. And above all, he was a kind and humble man,” Biden said in a statement.

Singh revolutionized India’s economic growth during his tenure as the country’s prime minister and finance minister in 1991.

He is remembered to have said in his first budget speech: “There is no power in the world that can prevent an idea whose time has come”.

He continued to promote his economic reforms as prime minister, lifting millions of people out of poverty and helping India develop into one of the fastest growing countries in the world.

The first Sikh to hold a high office in India, Singh apologized in 2005 for the 1984 riots in which nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed.

He was also the first Indian leader since Jawaharlal Nehru, who led the country from 1947 until his death in 1964, to be re-elected after serving his first full term.

Singh’s second term in office was marred by a series of corruption cases.

These negatives, many say, are what led to his Congress party’s massive defeat in the 2014 elections.