Manmohan Singh’s last rites: Nigambodh funeral ‘insult’ to first Sikh PM, says Rahul

NEW DELHI: Congress Saturday lashed out at the Centre for disrespecting the memory of Manmohan Singh, with Rahul Gandhi alleging that the first PM from the Sikh community was “totally insulted by the present govt by performing his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat”.

After the cremation, LoP in LS Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X said, “till date, respecting dignity of all former PMs, their last rites were performed at authorised memorial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience.”

On Friday, home ministry’s announcement about the last rites to be performed at Nigambodh Ghat had triggered a row, with Congress functionaries saying the govt did not heed their request to hold his last rites at a befitting place that could be built into a memorial to the late PM.

Centre countered in a statement late Friday where it said that the home minister had communicated to the Congress chief and Singh’s family that the govt will allocate space for the memorial. “In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it,” the statement read.

However, the row was further fuelled as Congress netas attacked govt over funeral arrangements. Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi said, “By not providing adequate place for cremation of former PM Dr Singh, govt has not done justice to the dignity of the post of former PM, the personality of Manmohan Singh and his legacy.”

Congress also hit back at BJP for alleging it was Nehru-Gandhi family that humiliated the former PM by foisting Sonia Gandhi over him as “super-PM”. MP K C Venugopal alleged that BJP chief J P Nadda and BJP have “crossed all boundaries of decency and have compelled us to point out the rank hypocrisy and cheap political tricks of BJP throughout the last two days”.

Courtesy : TOI

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