Manmohan Singh Had Considered Resigning Over Displeasure with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narsimha Rao Had To Intervene | ABP Live

Before entering politics, Manmohan Singh was an economist. In 1991, when India’s economy was struggling, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao sought someone outside of politics with economic expertise to handle the crisis. This led to Manmohan Singh being appointed as the Finance Minister, despite having no prior political experience. Being new to politics, Singh was sensitive to criticism. In 1992, when he presented his first budget, opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee heavily criticized it. As a skilled orator, Vajpayee’s words deeply affected Singh. His sensitive, non-political nature made him vulnerable to such attacks, and he was so distressed that he contemplated resigning. This episode highlighted Singh’s emotional response to political criticism, which he was not accustomed to handling.