The Congress on Monday reacted to the BJP's criticism that leaders of the grand old party didn't accompany Manmohan Singh's family during the immersion of his ashes in the Yamuna River, saying it wanted to accord privacy to the bereaved family.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh's ashes being immersed at the Asth Ghat, Majnu Ka Tilla in New Delhi. (PTI)
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Congress leader Pawan Khera said senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had visited Singh's family after the funeral.
He said Congress leaders didn't accompany the family out of "our deference to the privacy of the family".
He said the family didn't get any privacy during the cremation and some extended family members couldn't even reach the pyre site.
"After discussing with them, it was felt that since the family did not get any privacy at the time of the cremation and some extended family members could not reach the pyre site, it would be appropriate to give them some privacy for the 'Phool Chunana' and the immersion of the ashes which is an emotionally painful and difficult ceremony for close family members," Khera said in a statement.
The ashes were collected from the Nigambodh Ghat on Sunday morning by the family members and later taken to the 'Asth Ghat' on the Yamuna river bank near the gurdwara. Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters – Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh – were present at the immersion site along with other relatives, reported PTI.
Manmohan Singh, who ruled India from 2004 to 2014, died on Thursday. He was 92 years old. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
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Singh was credited for ushering in the economic reforms that paved the way for India's rapid growth over the past three decades.
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