NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday lashed out at the government’s decision to conduct former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cremation at Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated memorial site, calling it a “grave insult” to the late leader.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “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 at Nigambodh Ghat.”
Rahul also wrote about Singh’s legacy, describing him as a leader whose policies elevated India to an economic superpower and provided critical support to the underprivileged.
Highlighting what he termed as a deviation from tradition, the Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said, “Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorised 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.”
Rahul Gandhi’s attack comes a day after the ministry of home affairs clarified the government’s stance on establishing a memorial for the ex-PM at his final resting place and said that Union minister Amit Shah, after the Cabinet meet, told Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge that the government would allocate space for the memorial.
The MHA, in a statement, said the cremation and other formalities can proceed because a Trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated for the memorial.
“The government received a request to allocate space for a memorial for former Prime Minister Late Dr Manmohan Singh, from the Congress Party president,” a statement released by MHA read.
“Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Amit Shah communicated to Congress president Shri Kharge and the family of Late Dr Manmohan Singh that the government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it,” it added.
The government’s response came hours after, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at the BJP-led central government, calling its decision to conduct the last rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Nigambodh Ghat “a deliberate insult” to India’s first Sikh PM.
‘Govt couldn’t allocate even 1,000 yards’: Kejriwal
Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed shock over the decision to cremate Singh at Nigambodh Ghat, stating, “The BJP government could not provide even 1,000 yards of land for the last rites and burial of Dr. Manmohan Singh, who belonged to the Sikh community and was renowned all over the world.”
Singh, who served as Prime Minister for a decade and is remembered for his economic reforms and steady leadership during global financial crises, passed away on Thursday night at AIIMS, Delhi. He was cremated on Saturday with full state honours.