Former landlady recalls Dr Singh’s initiation in politics

Guwahati: Former PM, the late Dr Manmohan Singh, had become a resident of Assam as a tenant in the house of former Congress CM Hiteswar Saikia as he was elected to the Rajya Sabha, before being inducted by PV Narasimha Rao in the Union cabinet as finance minister.
The year was 1991 and marked the former RBI governor's political debut. Since then Dr Singh had been elected to the Rajya Sabha for five consecutive terms, representing Assam.
However, his 28-year-long association with his adopted home came to an end in 2019, when Congress shifted him to Rajasthan as the party no longer had the adequate numbers in the Assam assembly to send him to the Upper House again.
Recalling those days, Dr Singh's former landlady and Saikia's widow, Hemoprova Saikia, spoke to TOI about how the sardar landed in Assam and entered the arena of Indian politics.
"When Rao became the PM, he told my husband ‘I want to bring this man (Dr Singh) to politics and sought suggestions from my husband. He suggested that Dr Singh could be made a Rajya Sabha member from Assam as there was vacancy. He was elected and became the finance minister," said Mrs Saikia.
"My husband offered him an extended part of our house (House no. 3989, Nandan Nagar, Sarumotoria) in Guwahati to stay as a tenant and that house remained his residence as long as he was a Rajya Sabha member. Over the years, our relationship turned from that of a landowner-tennant to more of a family member," she added.
The Singhs also had their names enrolled in Assam's electoral rolls as voters of Dispur assembly constituency.
She said that Dr Singh used to visit his rented house when he was the Union finance minister. "However, when he became the PM he declined my invitations. He used to say ‘If I go the public gets harassed a lot due to security. His wife used to visit us. He started visiting the house after 2104, when he was no longer the PM."
Recalling her first meeting with Dr Singh, Mrs Saikia said she first saw him on a flight from the US. "I was travelling from Boston, after my husband's treatment, when he husband spotted him (Dr Singh) in the plane and asked me if I recognized him. I said I didn't. My husband told me that he was the governor of RBI and went up to him to greet him."
When asked what qualities of the late PM were still etched in her memory, Mrs Saikia said, "The most striking thing was that he never allowed himself to stray beyond the boundaries of law, even when he was the PM. He was also a great host and would personally welcome his guests and see them off till their vehicle. These things apart, he was honest to the core and a humble man."