The ministry of home affairs said the government has decided to allocate space for a memorial of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday night, and the same has been communicated to his family and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a late-night release on Friday titled “Facts of the matter regarding memorial for Former Prime Minister Late Dr Manmohan Singh,” the MHA said after the Centre received a request to allocate space for a memorial for Manmohan Singh from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
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Earlier on Friday, Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct the last rites of 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 Manmohan Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
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{{/usCountry}}"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.
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Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Union home minister Amit Shah communicated to Kharge and the family of Manmohan Singh that the government would allocate space for the memorial, the MHA statement said.
In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a Trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it, it added.
Manmohan Singh, who headed the Congress-led UPA government and is credited with economic reforms, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. He was India's prime minister for 10 years between 2004 and 2014.
Congress targets Centre
The MHA statement comes after the Congress alleged that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial of Manmohan Singh was a deliberate insult to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
The party raised the issue after the home ministry said Singh's last rites would be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11.45am on Saturday with full state honours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.
BJP hits back
Sharing the MHA statement on X, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya wrote, “It is unfortunate that the Congress chose to politicise former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s death, even though Home Minister Amit Shah had communicated GoI’s decision to allocate space for the departed leader’s memorial, soon after the Cabinet meeting. Both Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Dr Singh’s family were informed.”