The politics surrounding the funeral and memorial of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, both after his death and continuing to this day, is not appropriate but rather strange and paradoxical. A person who served as Prime Minister for ten years, Finance Minister for five years, and was involved in India’s economic and financial policymaking for three decades should have received measured and respectful statements from his party and supporters. When the Congress party holds the government accountable, it will have to answer for decisions, events, and roles during that period, which may be difficult for the party to defend. Immediately after his death, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister demanding that the funeral be held at a place where a memorial could be constructed.
Following this, the party began accusing the government. Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that a memorial would be built, and the funeral was conducted at the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi. A question was raised about why the funeral took place at Nigambodh Ghat. When such issues arise in the country, most people react based on immediate emotions and the prevailing atmosphere, and the political division, with attacks and counterattacks, begins. On such topics, if we do not present the truth and facts impartially, misunderstandings will persist. After Congress made it a major issue, the BJP has dug into the past.
Former prime ministers should be given a respectful funeral, and if their personality was influential, a memorial should be built. Let’s first discuss Congress’s past on this matter. During the Congress-led UPA government under Dr. Manmohan Singh, four former prime ministers—PV Narasimha Rao, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandra Shekhar, and I.K. Gujral—passed away. Was there any discussion of building a memorial for any of them in Delhi? PV Narasimha Rao, a Congress leader, appointed Dr. Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister, marking the beginning of his political journey. His family wanted his funeral to be in the capital. He had been the party president, and his body should have been placed at the Congress headquarters for final respects and tributes.
However, when Narasimha Rao’s body arrived, the doors of the Congress headquarters were not opened, and leaders like Sonia Gandhi and other ministers paid their tributes outside. Who might have issued such an order? Congress argues that Narasimha Rao himself expressed a wish to be cremated in his home state, but if that were the case, why was there no discussion with his family? Today, members of his family claim that no one listened to them. Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter, Smt. Sharmistha Mukherjee, stated that her father had requested that Narasimha Rao’s body be brought inside the Congress headquarters, but this request was denied. Perhaps in the political history of India, such treatment has never been given to anyone after their death.
It is also true that after the death of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Mumbai, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru told President Dr. Rajendra Prasad that no Cabinet minister should attend the funeral. Several people, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, ignored this message and attended the funeral. While Patel’s funeral did not take place in Delhi, considering his monumental role in the independence movement, constitution-making, and in ensuring the unity and integrity of the nation post-partition, a memorial should have been built for him.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India and the chairman of the Constituent Assembly, led a life of selflessness in line with Gandhi’s ideas and Indian culture. Despite his immense contributions, there is no memorial for him in Delhi. After his retirement from the presidency, he lived in the modest Sadakat Ashram in Patna, where he passed away. Visitors to that place can still witness his simplicity.
In this context, the demand from Congress seems more like politics than a genuine concern. If you move beyond Raj Ghat, the memorials for Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru line the road. The number of visitors to these memorials is minimal, and the area is overgrown with vegetation. The memorial for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had to be built further along the road. During the UPA government, several new projects were introduced at Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial, and land around Gandhi Ji’s memorial was used without any official approval, leading to encroachments.
When Chaudhary Charan Singh passed away, after some pressure, land from near Gandhi Ji’s memorial was allocated for his cremation, but there was no space available near Nehru’s or other memorials. The harsh truth is that, given the current situation, there is no space left in that area for future prime ministers. The only way to accommodate them might be to place their memorials inside existing ones. The path forward might resemble the transformation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial into the Prime Minister’s Museum, where the contributions and memories of all future prime ministers will be preserved.
Similarly, a system for funerals and memorials for Prime Ministers could be arranged. Would Congress be willing to give up space for members of other families in favor of their first family? Should memorials and respectful funerals only be discussed for prime ministers? Many individuals who contributed immensely to the country, even without holding official positions, are overlooked. For instance, heroes of the 1942 Quit India Movement, like Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, do not have memorials in Delhi. Jai Prakash Ji dedicated his life to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Gram Swaraj and led the anti-corruption movement of 1974, which led to the declaration of the Emergency. There are many such contributors across various fields who have played a crucial role in shaping the country.
Therefore, we need to change our mindset. A Prime Minister may rise to power without significant public popularity or support, as exemplified by I.K. Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh. The country should consider this perspective. We should not draw conclusions based on fleeting emotions or momentary excitement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government conducted the funeral of Dr. Manmohan Singh with full state honors, declaring seven days of national mourning, something Congress governments did not do for many former prime ministers.
The most important aspect is India’s cultural and spiritual outlook. In Indian philosophy, the body is considered perishable, and after death, it holds no value. The soul is eternal, it either reincarnates or achieves liberation. From this perspective, life is a journey of countless births, and we are given a name in this life. In the next birth, we may have a different form and name. This belief has shaped traditions where, after death, personal belongings, including photographs, are not kept. Memorials are generally only built for those who attain divinity and take Samadhi. The tradition of tombs and memorials is found in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. A memorial for someone is not aligned with the eternal truth of life.