The mortal remains of Punjab’s former Finance Minister Surinder Singla were consigned to the flames with State honours at the lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi on Friday. The entire Punjab Cabinet, including Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, and the party’s State leaders were conspicuous by their absence.

However, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended the cremation along with his wife, besides the Union Minister Vijay Goel, noted industrialist GD Goenka, former MP Tarlochan Singh, former MlA Jasbir Singh Khangura, among others.

Capt Amarinder, who described “friend” Singla’s death as “personal loss”, did not attend the funeral, nor he designated any of his Cabinet colleague to remain present on his behalf. Singla was the Finance Minister in Capt Amarinder’s previous tenure as the Chief Minister.

On behalf of the Punjab Government, the state Resident Commissioner, Punjab Bhawan at New Delhi, Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, and additional Resident Commissioner Rahul Gupta Bhandari laid the wreath on Singla’s body, while the Punjab Police cops presented the guard of honour before the cremation as a “mark of respect to him”. Moreover, a DSP-rank officer laid the wreath on behalf of the state DGP Suresh Arora.

Not only the state Cabinet Ministers were absent, none of the office bearers of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee attended the cremation of the senior leader, who breathed his last on Thursday morning following respiratory problem.

Punjab Government had declared Friday as a holiday as a mark of respect for Singla.