New Delhi:
In the midst of mourning the loss of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a contentious debate has erupted over the establishment of a memorial in his honor. This dispute has highlighted the deep-seated political tensions between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.
On the eve of Manmohan Singh’s funeral, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge engaged in a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, advocating for the construction of a memorial at the site of Singh’s last rites. Kharge emphasized that this gesture would align with the tradition of honoring statesmen and former prime ministers by establishing memorials at their final resting places.
However, this request sparked a heated exchange between the two parties. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the Centre, questioning why a suitable location for the memorial could not be identified. Ramesh termed this oversight as an “insult” to India’s first Sikh prime minister, highlighting the public’s confusion over the government’s inability to find an appropriate site.
In response, the Centre, through Union Home Minister Amit Shah, assured that a site for the memorial would indeed be allocated, allowing the cremation and other formalities to proceed without delay. Despite this assurance, the BJP launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing them of politicizing Singh’s demise. The BJP pointed out the Congress’s past treatment of other notable leaders, such as former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and former President Pranab Mukherjee, suggesting that the Congress was now engaging in “dirty politics.”
Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday at AIIMS Delhi, will be accorded a state funeral with full military honors at Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday. His mortal remains will be kept at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters for the public and Congress workers to pay their respects before the funeral procession.
The central government has declared a seven-day period of national mourning to honor Singh’s legacy, during which the National Flag will b
