Arun Jaitley praises PM, says he is a 'syana aadmi'

Singh's words, Jaitley said, were measured and he would reflect before making a comment. "Secondly, his personal integrity was always above board. With an element of scholarship he was always be well read and well prepared on any subject that he dealt with."

Jaitley said he had the opportunity of observing the Prime Minister from close quarters for the last ten years. He said in the last five years as Leader of Opposition, he virtually had heard his every intervention in Parliament and dissected each one of his performances.

"Unquestionably Dr Manmohan Singh was a very good finance minister. He got a lot of support from his Prime Minister, PV Narasimha Rao, for initiating the economic reforms in 1991. For a Congress party government which had always professed the virtues of regulation a reformist approach was creditable," the BJP leader wrote. He said Rao has never been given the level of credit which he truly deserved. "I am sure history will reassess him."

Jaitley said he had recently suggested to the Prime Minister that he would be interested in reading his memoirs, particularly those relating to the period 1991-96.