Punjab occupied a special place in the heart of Dr Manmohan Singh, who will always be remembered for helping out the state, irrespective of the party in power.

Cutting across party lines, leaders remember him for being visionary in laying the foundation for the development of the border state.

Be it SAD-BJP government or the Congress government, he sanctioned big projects for the border state. He played a crucial role in the Capt government to revive the state’s economy after the Covid-19 pandemic. Sangrur ex-MP Vijay Inder Singla said the former PM was behind the sanctioning of the Bathinda refinery, Sangrur PGI and the cancer hospitals at Sangrur and Mullanpur (Mohali). The widening of the Zirakpur-Bathinda national highway was also to the credit of Dr Singh, he added.

CLP leader PS Bajwa said the ex-PM was always considerate of the demands made by Punjab. He was also in favour of opening trade with Central Asia through Punjab borders.

State BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said he was a visionary who laid the foundation of the state’s development by bringing the Indian School of Business and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research to Mohali and IIT to Ropar.

PPCC chief Amrinder Raja Warring said Dr Singh’s contribution to the development of Punjab could not be ignored. Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said it was a colossal national tragedy.