THERE should have been more Cabinet meetings, more policy debates and more years of public service ahead for the former Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh, National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad said yesterday.
Speaking at Singh’s memorial service at Rishikul Sanatan College in Nasinu, Prof Prasad said his death had robbed colleagues and the country of the opportunity to continue working with him.
“There should have been more time for all this, more Cabinet meetings, more conversations, more in-depth discussions about policy, and more moments when, after all the seriousness of public business, we could simply speak as friends,” he said.
Prof Prasad said Mr Singh remained true to himself despite the pressures, disagreements and demands of political life.
“Yet, through them, Agni remained recognisably Agni.”
He said Mr Singh was known for his strong convictions and could be stubborn, impatient and direct, but these qualities were also tied to his courage and loyalty.
“Underneath was friendship, underneath was loyalty.”
Prof Prasad said Mr Singh’s legacy extended far beyond his positions as a teacher, trade union leader, parliamentarian and Cabinet minister.
While official records would document his career, they could never capture the personal relationships, conversations, humour and small acts of kindness that shaped the man remembered by his colleagues and friends.
“No official record will ever contain the whole story of the man.”
Prof Prasad said the NFP would remember Mr Singh as part of its political inheritance and thanked his family for sharing him with the party, Government and the country.
