Manmohan Singh death: The Congress party has demanded the Centre seeking a resting place for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday (December 26), along the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi, where many former PMs have their memorials.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has conveyed the party’s desire to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Separately, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal followed it up with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday (December 27).
Kharge wrote a letter to PM Modi and said, "Manmohan Singh's last rites should be held at a place where a memorial can be built."
Kharge urges to conduct last rites of Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct the last rites of former PM Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built.
He wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India. This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and
achievements were phenomenal.He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
As per reports, the government is yet to get back to Congress. Interestingly, it was the UPA government headed by Singh that had blocked demands for separate memorials. In 2013, the UPA Cabinet decided to set up a common memorial ground- Rashtriya Smriti Sthal at Raj Ghat- in view of the paucity of space.
A seven-day state mourning will be observed throughout the country as a mark of respect to Singh and during this period the national flag will be flown at half-mast across India, the Union home ministry announced.
In a communication to all chief secretaries of states and union territories on Thursday, the home ministry said a state funeral will be accorded to Singh and there will be no official entertainment during the period of state mourning.
As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the home ministry decided to observe the state of mourning between December 26, 2024 and January 1, 2025. The national flag will also fly half-mast on the day of funeral in all Indian missions and high commissions abroad, the home ministry said.
