Government agrees on Manmohan Singh memorial, Congress is now playing politics.
Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh died on Thursday, December 26, 2024, at the age of 92. The government announced that he would be accorded state funerals with full military honours and that his last rites would be performed at Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi. However, the Congress party requested that the cremation be done at a place that could be converted into a memorial to the former prime minister.
https://nayagoogle.com/question/10014796/
Congress' request Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that the cremation be done at a place that befits the stature of a statesman like Manmohan Singh. The Congress party insisted that the memorial should be built at Rajghat, the traditional site for memorials to former prime ministers and presidents. However, the government initially rejected this request, citing the 2013 decision by the Manmohan Singh government to centralise cremations at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal due to lack of space.
Government's response The government responded to the Congress' request by announcing that the cremation would be done at the public crematorium Nigambodh Ghat. The Union Home Ministry said that the decision was taken in line with the precedent set by the Manmohan Singh government in 2013. However, the Congress party accused the government of deliberately insulting the former prime minister and not paying heed to his request.
Allegation of politicisation The Congress party's demand for a memorial at Rajghat has been seen as an attempt to politicise the issue. The BJP has accused the Congress of trying to gain political mileage by creating a controversy over the memorial. The BJP has said that the Congress party has failed to build a memorial for former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, who was also a Congress leader.
Government consent In a late night development, the government agreed to allot space for Manmohan Singh's memorial. The Union Home Ministry announced that the government will allot space for the memorial and the funeral and other formalities can take place as scheduled. The decision was seen as a softening of the government's stance, which had initially refused to accept the Congress party's request.
Reactions The decision to allot space for Manmohan Singh's memorial has been welcomed by the Congress party. However, the party has continued to accuse the government of politicising the issue. The BJP has said that the government's decision is in line with the precedent set by the Manmohan Singh government in 2013.
Analysis The controversy over Manmohan Singh's memorial has highlighted the ongoing political tensions between the Congress party and the BJP. The Congress party's demand for a memorial at Rajghat has been seen as an attempt to gain political mileage, while the BJP has accused the Congress of attempting to create controversy over the issue. The government's decision to allocate space for the memorial has been seen as a pragmatic move to defuse the controversy.