Farewell, Manmohan Singh: Last Rites and National Tributes to an Iconic Leader

Farewell to Dr. Manmohan Singh: Nation Pays Tribute as His Last Rites Are Performed with State Honours in Delhi

shivani Poli December 28, 2024

152 3 minutes read

Dr. Manmohan Singh’s last rites were held at Nigambodh Ghat with full state honours, attended by top leaders and dignitaries. The nation mourns the loss of a visionary

Farewell, Manmohan Singh: The nation bade goodbye to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh yesterday, as his last rites were performed with full state honors today at Nigambodh Ghat, a prominent public cremation ground in the national capital. It was attended by a large host of dignitaries, which included President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, among others. The body of Dr. Singh was first taken to the Congress headquarters in Delhi where various political leaders paid their tributes before proceeding to the cremation ground.

In a gesture of respect to the contributions that Dr. Singh has made towards the nation, the Centre declared seven-day state mourning in the entire country. Throughout the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the entire country. The Congress party also announced cancellation of the official events that are set to take place during the next week. Its own Foundation Day celebration was, thus, called off as it will resume on 3 January 2024.

But a controversy over space to install a memorial to Dr. Singh marred the occasion, with the Centre and Congress sparring over the matter on Friday. The Congress condemned the Centre’s decision to conduct the last rites at Nigambodh Ghat, instead of a place where a permanent memorial can be installed in the honor of the former Prime Minister. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge even appealed to Prime Minister Modi on this issue and requested him that the final resting place of Dr. Singh must become a memorial site just like the cremation grounds are being converted into memorial places of former statesmen and prime ministers.

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan was quick on the draw in reaction, going on to target the Congress for its stand. He labeled the demand as “ironical” and reminded everyone that when former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao died in 2004, the Congress-led UPA government did not even construct a memorial in his name despite the widespread public outcry.

The Centre responded to the Congress request by assuring the provision of an appropriate space for a memorial dedicated to Dr. Singh. Officials, however clarified that even though cremation and other formalities will take place, a memorial would only be constructed after the trust is formed and space was officially declared.

Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of late former President Pranab Mukherjee, joined the debate by criticizing Kharge’s call for a memorial by recalling how the Congress leadership had not convened a condolence meeting when her father passed away in 2020. Mukherjee pointed out that Congress had refused to build a memorial for an Indian President, which she claimed highlighted the party’s inconsistent stance on memorials.

Aged 92, Dr Manmohan Singh died last night of age-related health issues he had been suffering from for a long time. He was an architect of India’s economic reforms and served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. Some of the landmark policy shifts during his tenure included liberalising the Indian economy for which he received national and international recognition.

Born in 1932, Dr. Singh was an excellent scholar who passed First Class Honours in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957 and then graduated from Nuffield College, Oxford University. He entered into politics in 1991 and remained a member of the Rajya Sabha and was also the Leader of the Opposition from 1998-2004. He has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award in 1987, India’s second-highest civilian honour for his service to the nation.

Global leaders, such as France President Emmanuel Macron, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, were present to mourn the death of Dr. Singh, whose gigantic contribution has been made to global diplomacy and the development of India, and for which his legacy will undoubtedly be part of the nation’s history in the following years as regards political and economic activities.

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