A war of words erupted on 27th December between the Congress and the BJP over the issue of cremation and memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress’s request for the cremation to be held at a separate memorial site was denied by the Centre.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asking that Singh’s funeral rituals be held at a last resting site that also houses a memorial, in keeping with the tradition of honouring leaders with dedicated memorials.
However, the Union Home Ministry has announced that the cremation will take place at Nigam Bodh Ghat, a public crematorium. After the announcement, Congress accused the BJP of disrespecting and insulting the former Prime Minister. BJP in response pointed out at Congress’s double standards and accused the party for its negligence in building a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. It is ironic for the Congress party to point blame against the central government of disrespecting political leaders given the history it shares with former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and Former President Pranab Mukherjee.
Due to the lousy relationship between PM P V Narasimha Rao and Sonia Gandhi, Congress distanced itself from the PM and disrespected him by not recognising his contribution to India for a long time. While the Congress party is now demanding a separate memorial for Dr. Manmohan Singh, it did not show the same respect for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. In 2004, the Congress-led government even denied him a funeral in Delhi, and Rao was instead cremated in Hyderabad, where a memorial was later constructed. In 2015, the Narendra Modi government honored the former PM by establishing a memorial at Ekta Sthal, which was originally the site of former president Giani Zail Singh’s memorial and has since been incorporated into Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.
Congress has a history of disrespecting its great leaders. Despite being the senior leader, India’s late President Pranab Mukherjee has also been disrespected by not elevating him in the party post. After his death, the Congress party, under the presidentship of Sonia Gandhi, did not call for the Congress Working Committee Meeting. Mentioning this particular instance, Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of the late Pranav Mukherjee, wrote on X that the Congress did not even hold a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting after her father’s demise.
The Congress party’s call for a separate memorial for Dr. Manmohan Singh marks a shift from the previous stance of the party-led UPA government, which had rejected proposals for individual memorials for former prime ministers in Delhi. In 2000, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government opted against creating separate memorials for different leaders, citing the limited space at the Raj Ghat area, which already occupied more than 245 acres of valuable land in Delhi. In 2013, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government decided to establish a unified memorial ground at Raj Ghat, known as Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, for the last rites of prominent figures. The memorial for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also held at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in 2018, along the banks of the Yamuna River.
Congress tried to politicise the matter of a separate memorial for Dr Manmohan Singh, but his own past of disrespectful actions to great leaders such as President Pranav Mukherjee and PM PV Narasimha Rao has put Congress in a backward position.