The Centre yesterday late at night agreed to allocate space for a memorial for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. This follows intense political sparring between the BJP and the Congress. The Centre had initially directed Singh’s cremation at Nigambodh Ghat. This Ghat is a public crematorium.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The centre initially rejected Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s request for a dedicated memorial site.
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The Ministry of Home Affairs said, “The Government received a request to allocate space for a memorial for former Prime Minister Late Dr Manmohan Singh. The Congress Party President made the request. Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, HM Shri Amit Shah communicated to Congress President Shri Kharge.”
It further said, “Discussions were also held with the family of Late Dr Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. Meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it.”
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According to News18, In 2013, the cabinet of UPA-2 decided to have a commonplace as a memorial. An official press release stated, “The Union Cabinet today approved the construction of a ‘Rashtriya Smriti’. The construction will be at Samadhis Complex near Ekta Sthal in New Delhi. This will ensure a place to perform the last rites of departed national leaders and other leaders as decided by the Cabinet. This will include Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, former Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Prime Ministers.”
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It also added, “In the past, separate memorials for departed national leaders were created near Rajghat which covered a large space”. Given the Cabinet decision taken in the year 2000 that, “Henceforth Government shall not develop any Samadhi for departed leaders”. The paucity of land at the Samadhis Complex area. “Rashtriya Smriti is being developed to perform the last rites of departed national leaders. The Smriti area will provide space for the last rites of departed national leaders in the future, besides space for a public gathering.”
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But the Centre’s initial rejection sparked a political debate. Member of Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the decision a “deliberate insult” to Singh. He cited his remarkable contributions to the nation as India’s first Sikh Prime Minister.
आज सुबह कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने प्रधानमंत्री को पत्र लिखकर प्रस्ताव दिया था कि पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह का अंतिम संस्कार ऐसे स्थान पर किया जाए जहां उनकी विरासत का सम्मान करने के लिए एक स्मारक बनाया जा सके।
हमारे देश के लोग यह नहीं समझ पा रहे हैं कि भारत सरकार उनके वैश्विक…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
In a post on X, he wrote, “The people of our country cannot understand why the government failed to allocate a space befitting his global stature,”. Countering these claims the BJP pointed out Congress’s negligence in building a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao during their tenure. Furthermore, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the Congress Party of politicizing Singh’s legacy. BJP’s CR Kesavan also highlighted Congress’s past neglect of Rao.
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Amid the debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured Kharge that a memorial would be built after the necessary processes. This will include land acquisition and trust formation. Manmohan Singh’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday morning. The funeral will begin at the Congress headquarters. Several dignitaries, including President Droupadi Murmu, PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi, are expected to attend.
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