Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (91) retired as a member of the Rajya Sabha, officially bidding farewell to active politics, marking an end to a remarkable three-decade-long tenure.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday penned an emotional letter to him, saying he will always remain a hero to the middle class and the aspirational youth, a leader and guide to the industrialists and entrepreneurs and a benefactor to the poor. Kharge dedicated the letter to his work, the policies he introduced during his tenure as the PM and finance minister, and his legacy.

“As you retire today from the Rajya Sabha… an era comes to an end… Very few people have accomplished as much as you for the nation and its people,” Kharge wrote.

“Very few people have accomplished as much as you for the nation and its people,” he wrote. Kharge expressed his gratitude to Manmohan Singh for his wisdom and guidance and said it was a “privilege” for him to serve under Singh’s cabinet. “Over the last few years, you have made it a point to be available for the Congress party despite personal inconveniences. For this, the party and I will always remain grateful,” he added.

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“As you retire, an era comes to an end,” Kharge said.

Manmohan Singh became a member of the Upper House for the first time in October 1991. He was elected for the sixth term in 2019. Kharge, a minister in the UPA II government, noted that Singh had made it a point to be available for the Congress over the last few years despite personal inconveniences.

“You have shown that it is possible to pursue economic policies that were equally beneficial to large industries, young entrepreneurs, small businesses, the salaried class and the poor… Thanks to your policies, India was able to lift 27 crore people, the highest number of poor people, out of poverty… The MGNREGA scheme launched under your government continues to provide relief to the rural workers… the rural poor will always remember you for ensuring that they can… live with self-respect,” he said.

In his letter, Kharge also recalled Singh’s pursuit to secure the India-US nuclear deal, an issue on which the Left parties withdrew support to the UPA government in 2008. He also said that the nation “misses the quiet yet strong dignity that you brought to the office of the Prime Minister”.

“The patriotic legacy of the Congress and its spirit of sacrifice was ably demonstrated by you when you decided to pursue the Indo-US Nuclear Deal even if it meant putting your government at risk… The respect and regard that… other world leaders had… further increased during the Global Financial Crisis… I remember President Obama mentioning about you that ‘Whenever the Indian Prime Minister speaks, the whole world listens to him.”

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The Congress chief also used the occasion to make a political point. “The economic prosperity and stability that we enjoy today is built on the foundations laid by you along with our former Prime Minister, Bharat Ratna Shri P V Narasimha Rao. The current set of leaders who have reaped the benefits… seem to go out of their way to speak ill about you and make personal attacks against you,” Kharge wrote.

“Whatever little reforms done by the current government has its seeds in the work initiated in the UPA government headed by you. The work initiated… to ensure direct transfer of benefits to individual beneficiaries by creating zero balance accounts, unique identification of the beneficiary through Aadhaar was hijacked by the succeeding government, without giving you credit. In some cases, the good work initiated by you seems to be slowly undone,” he said.

Singh, who first entered the Rajya Sabha in 1991, served multiple terms and faced a brief hiatus in 2019 before being re-elected from Rajasthan. He held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2004.

Manmohan Singh’s entered Rajya Sabha following his tenure as the Finance Minister in the Rao government. He was re-elected in 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2013. Despite an unsuccessful attempt in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi, where he was defeated by BJP’s Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Singh maintained his presence in the Rajya Sabha.

He has often been accused by the BJP for running a government that was marred by corruption. The party had also termed “MaunMohan Singh”, alleging he did not speak out against corrupt leaders in his cabinet. Singh had, however, hoped that “to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the opposition parties in Parliament”.

However, some time back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also lauded his role as a member of the upper house and said his contributions would never be forgotten. Modi also said that Singh sometimes came to vote while being on a wheelchair, and that he did to strengthen democracy.