A political row has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and Congress-led Opposition parties over a memorial for the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was cremated with full State honours on Saturday in the presence of top dignitaries from India and abroad.
While the Home Ministry claimed to assure the late PM’s family in a communication for a memorial in due course, the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) demanded that the last rites should have been performed at a designated place where the Manmohan Singh’s memorial could have been developed. Singh, 92, died on the night of December 26.
Simultaneously former President late Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha too cried foul on the part of the grand old party which failed to honour the rights of Mukherjee who spent his entire life serving the Congress.
The Congress alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was “deliberately insulting” the first Sikh PM of the country by not designating a place for his funeral and memorial. While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have Singh’s funeral at a place where his memorial can be built, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP president Mayawati urged the Central government to avoid any political controversy over the funeral and memorial of former prime minister Manmohan Singh. Demands for giving Singh a Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, were also raised during the last ritual procession of Manmohan Singh.
“The tradition of honouring the country’s former Prime Ministers must be upheld. There is no need for politics on this issue nor should there be any. Dr. Manmohan Singh’s memorial should be constructed at Rajghat. The BJP should refrain from presenting an inappropriate example of its narrow-minded thinking. History will never forgive them for this negative approach,” he said.
BSP president Mayawati said the wishes of Singh’s family should be respected. “The Central government should ensure that the funeral and memorial of Dr Manmohan Singh, the country’s first Sikh prime minister, are conducted at a location preferred by his family. No politics should be done on this matter and the government must honour the sentiments of Singh’s family and the Sikh community.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also criticised the BJP for not allocating space within the Rajghat complex for the last rites of former prime minister Manmohan Singh and said that it “reflects poorly on India globally”. AAP called on the BJP to clarify its stance and demanded an apology to Singh’s family and the Sikh community.
“Manmohan Singh, a global icon and India’s only Sikh Prime Minister, was denied even 1,000 square yards of land for his cremation and memorial at Rajghat. Almost all former Prime Ministers were cremated there, but the BJP government refused this basic courtesy to Singh,” said AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of disrespecting the Sikh community and questioned the rationale behind the decision.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs assured that a place would be allocated for Singh’s memorial and that his family and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had been informed.
BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda attacked Congress and the Gandhi family for getting into petty politics when the entire nation mourns the demise of Dr. Manmohan Singh.
“Congress party is busy turning this moment of grief into an opportunity to fulfill their political agenda. Gandhi family has neither honored nor delivered justice to any leader of the nation, even if they were from the Congress party. The nation will never forget or forgive the historic sins of the principle-less Congress party,” Nadda said in a statement.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot accused the NDA government of creating an “unnecessary controversy” over the cremation and memorial of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He added that the Government of India is conducting the cremation of a respected personality at Nigambodh Ghat instead of at any special place.
Gehlot recalled after the death of former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat the Congress led Rajasthan government immediately allotted a special place for his last rites and a memorial in Jaipur and similarly after the death of Bal Thackeray in Maharashtra in 2012, the Congress government allotted a special place in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park for his last rites.
Before the mortal remains of Singh were consigned to flames, the security forces gave a 21-gun salute to the former PM. Sikh priests and Singh’s family members recited verses from the Gurbani before performing his last rites.
Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and one of their daughters also laid a wreath on his body. The three daughters of Singh, Upinder Singh, Daman Kaur and Amrit Kaur, along with other relatives were present. Singh’s funeral pyre was lit by his eldest daughter Upinder Singh at the Nigambodh Ghat amid the chanting of religious hymns.
The last rites were performed in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as also top leaders of the Congress party including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful were among the foreign dignitaries who paid tributes to Singh, who served as the PM from 2004 to 2014.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also paid their last tributes to the former prime minister and laid wreaths on his mortal remains. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and chiefs of the tri-services also laid wreaths. Several chief ministers also attended the last rites.
Amid Manmohan Singh’s memorial row, former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha criticised the party for demanding a separate memorial space for Manmohan Singh while failing to convene a Congress Working Committee meeting to condole her father’s death.
Speaking out against the lapse, she revealed that a senior Congress leader had dismissed the idea, claiming such meetings were not customary for former Presidents. “When baba passed away, Congress didn’t even bother to call a CWC for a condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done for Presidents. That’s utter rubbish,” Sharmistha said.
She further revealed that her father’s diaries documented how, after former President KR Narayanan’s death, such a meeting had been convened, with Pranab Mukherjee himself drafting the condolence message. She, however, said that former PM Manmohan Singh deserves a separate memorial space.
