Alappuzha: As the ashes of late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were immersed in the Yamuna river by the family on Sunday, the controversy around the manner of performing his last rites refuses to die down.
The Congress accused the NDA government at the Centre of having a “hidden agenda” for not identifying a designated space for Dr Singh's cremation where a memorial could be built later. The BJP hit back at the grand old party accusing it of politicising the former PM's death. Singh, who served as the first Sikh PM of the country from 2004 to 2014, passed away on Thursday Dec 26 at AIIMS Delhi at the age of 92.
The row over the former PM's death escalated on Saturday when Congress MP and LoP, Rahul Gandhi accused the union government of insulting the former PM.
“The great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat,” Rahul wrote in a post on X.
भारत माता के महान सपूत और सिख समुदाय के पहले प्रधानमंत्री डॉ मनमोहन सिंह जी का अंतिम संस्कार आज निगमबोध घाट पर करवाकर वर्तमान सरकार द्वारा उनका सरासर अपमान किया गया है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 28, 2024
एक दशक के लिए वह भारत के प्रधानमंत्री रहे, उनके दौर में देश आर्थिक महाशक्ति बना और उनकी नीतियां आज भी देश के…
“He (Manmohan Singh) was the Prime Minister of India for a decade, during his tenure the country became an economic superpower and his policies are still the support of the poor and backward classes of the country. Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorized burial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,” he further wrote.
Scaling up the attack on the PM Modi led NDA government, the Congress on Sunday said that it has long been the practice to set up a memorial at the same place where the last rites are performed. However, the BJP-led Union government mishandled the issue and worsened the situation, the party alleged.
Speaking to reporters in Kerala's Alappuzha, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said that not only the Congress party but also the Shiromani Akali Dal had harshly criticised the Union government on the matter.
"A designated space was not found for Manmohan Singh's last rites and memorial because the central government intervened in the matter with a specific hidden agenda," he alleged.
The Congress leader also wanted a discussion on the "brutal approach" and lapses on the part of the Centre.
"It should be explained why the government is showing such disrespect to a great leader who rose to the post of Prime Minister from the Sikh community," Venugopal said.
He also accused the Centre of "failing to consult" the Congress party or Manmohan Singh's family members regarding the arrangements.
"Seats were not even arranged for the closest relatives," Venugopal claimed, adding that the central government had "tarnished the late Prime Minister's reputation by not making the necessary arrangements for his last rites".
On Saturday, the Congress had also accused the Centre of "insulting" Manmohan Singh, the country's first Sikh Prime Minister, by carrying out his last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat instead of at a designated spot that could later become his memorial.
The opposition party had written to the Centre, requesting the identification of a designated place for Singh's last rites, where a memorial could be established.
As politics over the matter intensified, the Centre said that a decision to set up a memorial had already been taken and that a trust would be formed to identify the location soon.
BJP president J P Nadda on Saturday stated that the Centre had decided to allocate space for Manmohan Singh's memorial and had informed his family about it. He accused the Congress of indulging in "cheap politics" over the former Prime Minister's cremation.
When the entire nation mourns the demise of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, the Congress party is busy turning this moment of grief into an opportunity to fulfill their political agenda.
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) December 28, 2024
Gandhi family has neither honored nor delivered justice to any leader of the… pic.twitter.com/6U4GEsa2LV
“It is the same Congress, which did not respect Manmohan Singh while he was alive and placed a super PM in Sonia Gandhi over Manmohan Singh. Now, in the name of his memorial, they are doing politics (over his death),” Nadda said in a video statement on Saturday.
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