Congress Seeks Space For Memorial To Manmohan Singh, Writes To PM

Congress Seeks Space For Memorial To Manmohan Singh, Writes To PM

New Delhi:

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about exploring the potential for constructing a memorial to Manmohan Singh on the identical web site the place the final rites can be held, the social gathering mentioned at the moment.

Manmohan Singh, who died of age-related medical points at 92, was prime minister for 2 phrases within the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) authorities from 2004 to 2014. He had been unwell for the previous few months.

“Apropos our telephonic dialog at the moment morning, whereby I made a request to carry Dr Manmohan Singh’s final rites, which is able to happen tomorrow i.e. twenty eighth December 2024, at his ultimate resting place that might be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the nice son of India,” Mr Kharge mentioned within the letter, which was posted by the Congress on X.

“This is consistent with such custom of getting memorials of statesmen and former prime ministers on the very place of their funerals,” the Congress chief mentioned.

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan shot again on the Congress over what he known as the opposition social gathering’s “ironic” behaviour.

“It is certainly ironic {that a} Congress President is writing to PM Narendra Modi ji about traditions and the funeral place changing into the sacrosanct venue for a memorial. One ought to remind Kharge ji how the Congress-led UPA authorities by no means constructed a memorial in Delhi for former PM Narasimha Rao ji, who handed away in 2004,” Mr Kesavan mentioned.

“The Congress by no means constructed a memorial for him within the 10 years they had been in energy from 2004-2014. It was solely PM Modi ji in 2015 who instituted a memorial for Narasimha Rao ji and honoured him posthumously in 2024 with the Bharat Ratna. Media adviser to Manmohan ji, Sanjaya Baru claimed in his guide that the Congress didn’t need Rao’s cremation to happen in Delhi, however somewhat in Hyderabad, and that he had been approached to convey this to Rao’s youngsters,” the BJP spokesperson mentioned.

“The cremation did happen in Hyderabad, with Rao’s physique not even laid in state on the All India Congress Committee’s headquarters. The historic sins of the unprincipled Congress won’t ever be forgotten nor forgiven by our nation,” he mentioned.

Congress chief Jairam Ramesh, nevertheless, in a strongly worded assertion mentioned individuals are unable to know why the Centre couldn’t discover a location for the previous prime minister’s cremation and memorial.

“… This is nothing however a deliberate insult to the primary Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh,” Mr Ramesh mentioned in a publish on X.

The final rites shall be carried out on the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi tomorrow.

Apart from being an economist, Manmohan Singh served as Reserve Bank of India governor from 1982 to 1985.

In the 5 years he spent between 1991 and 1996 as Union Finance Minister, his function in ushering in a complete coverage of financial reforms is recognised worldwide. In the favored view of these years in India, that interval is inextricably related to the persona of Manmohan Singh.

His authorities additionally launched the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which later got here to be often known as MGNREGA.

The Right to Information Act (RTI) was handed in 2005 beneath his authorities, which made the transparency of data between the federal government and the general public higher. He retired from the Rajya Sabha earlier this yr after serving for 33 years.