The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has answered the political outcry over the venue chosen for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s final rites by saying that a space would be allocated as a memorial in his memory. The statement was given on Saturday as it targeted the allegations from Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders that they politicized the issue.
In a clear message, MHA revealed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had made a formal request for a memorial at Singh’s final resting place. The response came from Union Minister Amit Shah after the Cabinet meeting, confirming that the government would allocate space for the memorial once a trust is formed to manage the site.
Shah communicated this to Kharge and Singh’s family, emphasizing that while the memorial’s space will be designated, the cremation and related formalities should proceed as planned. The government’s clarification followed significant political criticism regarding the choice of the cremation site.
According to a statement issued by MHA, “Today morning, the government received a request from Congress Party President to allot space for memorial of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Amit Shah conveyed to Congress President Shri Kharge and the family of Dr. Singh that the government will allot space for the memorial.”
The Congress has criticized the move of the government.
This started the controversy as Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP-led government of insulting the memory of India’s first Sikh Prime Minister by conducting his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat, a common cremation site in New Delhi. Ramesh vented his dismay on social media, calling it a “deliberate insult.” He wondered why the government could not find a place for cremation and memorial that would match Singh’s stature across the globe and decades of service to the nation.
Congress’s Demand For Memorial Place
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that Singh’s last rites be held at a location where a suitable memorial could be established. That, according to Kharge, would be a befitting tribute to the legacy of Singh and the contributions he made to the country. After all, such arrangements had been made for other former prime ministers.
In response to the controversy, the MHA clarified that state honors would still be given to Singh. The last rites are scheduled to take place at 11:45 AM on December 28 at Nigambodh Ghat. The statement again reiterated that Singh’s funeral would be done with full state honors.
While the government confirmed the provision of the space for a memorial, debate continued in its political corners. Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly criticized a decision by the government citing that the funeral was also denied to them at such a location to allow it to be able to develop an appropriate memorial for a family of his predecessor; Singh. And equally charged were the ripostes from Badal as being “shocking and unbelievable.”
Badal’s post on social media said, “It is condemnable in the extreme that Union Government has declined the request of Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji’s family for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built.”
The minister challenged this decision by questioning the motivation behind it, stating that such a decision was in dishonor to Singh’s name and his contribution toward both the Sikh community and nation.
Final Tribute
While the debate on the memorial remains alive, the nation readies to make the last tribute to the late prime minister. Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh died of health complications on December 27, 2024, at the age of 92. Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal confirmed that the last procession would start from AICC headquarters, and all Congress workers and the general public would be allowed to pay their tributes before his journey to the cremation site.
Despite the political dispute, the funeral will be held with full state honors to mark the end of an era for the man who served as Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014.
ALSO READ | Congress, SAD Slam Centre For ‘Disrespect’ Over Manmohan Singh’s Cremation Site
