Why photos of a former prime minister braving old age to attend parliament are dividing India

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The presence of a 90-year-old former prime minister in India’s parliament has become the latest flashpoint between two of the country’s main political parties.

Manmohan Singh, who has had a stellar record of parliamentary attendance in the recent past, was taken to parliament in a wheelchair on Monday to vote on a crucial bill over the administrative control of capital New Delhi.

The showing up of the geriatric politician, current PM Narendra Modi’s predecessor for a decade, was dubbed “shameful” by several lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The member of the opposition Congress party, widely praised for heralding economic reforms in India when he was the finance minister in the 1990s, was obeying a strict whip issued by his party to be present in the upper house Rajya Sabha “without fail to support to party stand”.

Indian leaders were set to debate and pass a bill under which the federal government will get to control Delhi’s administrative affairs and dictate its functions, terms and employment conditions and services of officers and employees.

The bill would render the existing state administration of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has kept the Hindu-ruling of Mr Modi out of power in Delhi for a decade, without any critical authority in the national capital.

In a quest to take on Mr Modi in next year’s national elections, more than two dozen opposition parties like the Congress and AAP have come together to form a grand coalition.

Marking the show of solidarity, Dr Singh reached parliament, even though the bill was cleared with 131 votes in its favour and 102 against it.

The BJP, which has routinely taken shots at the noted economist and academician, jumped to defend Dr Singh’s presence this time.

It blamed the Congress for keeping the former prime minister on a wheelchair “late at night”.

“The nation will not forget this display of madness by Congress! Even in the midst of a critical health situation, the party chose to have a former Prime Minister seated in a wheelchair in the Parliament late into the night, all for the sake of preserving their ill-founded alliance,” the BJP said on its social media account, sharing a photo of Dr Singh inside the parliament.

The Congress hit back, saying the lawmaker’s presence was a “testament” to his faith and dedication towards the Indian Constitution.

“The dedication towards democracy displayed by Dr Manmohan Singh is a testament to his unwavering faith in the Constitution of our nation. Even if the BJP has chosen to abandon the values of their elders, those elders remain a source of inspiration and courage for us,” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.

The Congress has repeatedly criticised Mr Modi for not attending the parliamentary proceedings in the ongoing session and avoiding debates about current sectarian violence ongoing in the country’s Manipur state.

“Perhaps it’s time for your leaders to learn from their wisdom, rather than deserting their principles,” Ms Shrinate said.

Dr Singh’s track record in parliament shows his attendance at 77 per cent, just 2 per cent less than the national average, according to Indian non-profit PRS Legislative, that tracks lawmakers’ performance in both houses.

Between 2014-19, Dr Singh maintained a steady 90 to 100 per cent presence in most parliamentary sessions but, with a decline in his health and old-age issues, his attendance has diminished after early 2021.

In October 2021, he was admitted to the country’s top hospital AIIMS over complaints of weakness and exhaustion.

His presence in parliament, which many on social media have praised as braving old age issues, was also cheered on by the AAP, which had been vocal against the Congress in the past.

“Your presence by our side, despite the constraints imposed by your age and ailing health, conveyed a storm of calm, grace and conviction to preserve India’s democracy and federal structure against all odds,” said Delhi’s chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday in a special letter penned to Dr Singh.

He added: “Your sheer presence in the Rajya Sabha also sent a loud and clear message to all those forces working to weaken Indian democracy that any such attempts will be met with fierce resistance by political leaders cutting across age and party lines.”

Raghav Chadha, an AAP member, thanked the noted bureaucrat for being a “beacon of integrity”.

Many on social media also lauded Dr Singh and repeated his final words when his stint as prime minister ended, in which he said “history will be kind to me”.

“As of now, the last prime minister of India, that did more work, less ads, took more trolls and yet had the guts to engage in a dialogue. Proud of you Dr Manmohan Singh. History will be kind to you!” said one user on social media.