Rahul Gandhi attends the funeral procession of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, December 28, 2024.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: Performing Manmohan Singh’s last rites at Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday spiralled into a controversy with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the Narendra Modi government of “totally insulting” the former Prime Minister and Sikh community, citing instances of others being given special burial sites.
BJP hit back with its chief J P Nadda accusing the Congress of indulging in "cheap politics". Rahul, who showed "scant respect" to Singh by tearing the ordinance, is “now doing politics” in his name, he said while alleging that Congress never gave due credit to non-Gandhi leaders, including P V Narasimha Rao.
Rahul’s comments came hours after Singh’s cremation and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking to rebut Congress allegations by issuing a statement on late Friday night that Home Minister Amit Shah has already communicated to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Singh's family that the government will allocate space for Singh’s memorial.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief too joined Rahul in calling it an insult to Singh’s towering legacy and Sikh community. “Refusing the family’s request and relegating a two-term Prime Minister to Nigambodh Ghat reeks of arrogance, bias and a deliberate attempt to erase his immense contributions from public memory...The stain of dishonouring great leaders never fades from history," Stalin posted on X.
Earlier Friday, Kharge after consulting the family had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold the cremation at a place where a memorial could come up. However, the government did not accede to the demand, prompting the Congress to accuse the ruling BJP of insulting the "first Sikh Prime Minister of the country".
Describing Singh as the “great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community”, Rahul said Singh has been “totally insulted by the present government” by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat.
“Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorised burial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience,” he said adding Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial.
“The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,” he said recalling that India became an economic superpower during his tenure as Prime Minister and his policies are still the support of the poor and backward classes of the country.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too attacked the government saying it should have “thought beyond politics and narrow-mindedness”.
She added, “This morning I felt this when I saw Manmohan Singh’s family members struggling for a place at the funeral site, trying to find a place in the crowd, and the general public getting troubled due to lack of space and paying tribute from the road outside.”
While Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore shared the footage of former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's cremation in 2016 saying, "selective treatment is deeply disheartening, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said it was under public pressure that the BJP government announced plans to build a memorial for Singh in the future.
Even as BJP leaders like C R Kesavan attacked the Congress accusing it of disrespecting former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, Congress also got support from Samajwadi Party, BSP and AAP. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said BSP president Mayawati urged the Union government to avoid any political controversy over the funeral and memorial of Singh.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh told a press conference, "Can Modi name a single former Prime Minister whose funeral was held at Nigambodh Ghat? This shows how narrow and petty the government’s mindset is.”
AAP’s Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “Has our nation’s politics stooped so low that the central government cannot allocate even a 1,000 square yards of land in Delhi for a learned former Prime Minister?”
Yadav said before the cremation, “The tradition of honouring the country's former prime ministers must be upheld..The BJP should refrain from presenting an inappropriate example of its narrow-minded thinking. History will never forgive them for this negative approach.”
Rao's grandson and BJP leader N V Subhash alleged that the Congress disrespected Rao after his death. "Congress's hypocrisy has been exposed. They ill-treated their leaders. They are playing petty politics on the whims and fancies of the dynasty," he claimed.
BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan alleged that the Congress was "unsuccessfully" trying to politicise Singh's death.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina N C said the question raised by Congress is "sheer controversy-driven" and they should be reminded that they never built a memorial for Rao. She said the Congress should move beyond unnecessary politics and media limelight.