Let Manmohan Singh’s last rites be at a place fit for a memorial: Kharge to Modi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday, 27 December, has written 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, he said.

'Apropos our telephonic conversation this 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 a memorial to 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 handle on X also posted the letter, and mentioned Kharge's had 'strongly requested on behalf of the Indian National Congress that the true tribute to Sardar Manmohan Singh-ji, a praiseworthy son of India, would be to... establish a memorial to him'.

Earlier, the home ministry had announced that the late former prime minister's last rites would be conducted tomorrow with state honours at Nigambodh Ghat — and not Raj Ghat, which many netizens as well as various leaders (not just those of the Congress) feel is the right place to honour such a well-regarded and well-beloved leader of the nation.

The office of Sukhbir Singh Badal was one of those that expressed dismay, terming the union government's decision 'Shocking and unbelievable!', and condemned it for declining the Singh family's request 'for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation'.

'This place should be Raj Ghat. This will be in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past,' said Badal — and many others seem to agree.

Urging Prime Minister Modi's personal intervention as well, Badal recalled the late Manmohan Singh's compassion in dealing with the Shiromani Akali Dal, noted he was the only member of the Sikh community to serve as PM, and added, 'I am unable to believe that the BJP govt’s bias would go to such extremes in utter disregard of the towering global stature which Dr Manmohan Singh-ji enjoyed and will always enjoy.'

Kharge too in his letter upheld the fact that 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.

Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".

He added that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.

The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.

'Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world.

'I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded,' Kharge said in his letter to Modi.

With PTI inputs