The flower-bedecked vehicle carrying the mortal remains of Dr Singh left the Congress headquarters around 10 AM in a procession amid chants of “Manmohan Singh Amar Rahe”.
Published Dec 28, 2024 | 1:06 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 29, 2024 | 4:20 PM
Funeral procession of former PM Mannohan Singh. (INCIndia/ X)
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s last rites were held on Saturday, 28 December at around 12:45 pm, with state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat crematorium in Delhi.
Manmohan Singh passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday, 26 December, while being treated for age-related conditions.
The first Indian prime minister from a minority community, Singh was 92. He was admitted to the emergency department of AIIMS on Thursday. He was India’s 14th prime minister.
The mortal remains of Manmohan Singh were kept at the Congress headquarters on Saturday from 8:30 am to 9:30 am, for the party workers and the public to pay their homage to the former prime minister.
At the Nigambodh Ghat crematorium, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, LG VK Saxena, Union Home Ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, paid their last respects.
Later last salute was accorded to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Sikh priests, and family members recited verses from Gurbani before his last rites.
Slogans of “Jab take Suraj chand rahega, tab tak tera naam rahega” echoed at the ghat as Dr Singh was laid to rest.
Congress leaders Sashi Tharoor and Bhupinder S Hooda were among the prominent people present at the Nigamboh Ghat crematorium.
At the AICC headquarters Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi,
and Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi paid their respects to the former prime minister. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also paid their last respects to the former prime minister.
Congress MP KC Venugopal, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also paid their last respects
Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and one of his daughters also laid a wreath on his body and paid their last respects.
The flower-bedecked vehicle carrying the mortal remains of Dr Singh left the Congress headquarters around 10 AM in a procession amid chants of “Manmohan Singh Amar Rahe”. Rahul Gandhi also joined the convoy along with Manmohan Singh’s relatives.
कांग्रेस मुख्यालय में पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ मनमोहन सिंह जी को अंतिम विदाई दी।
डॉ सिंह की विनम्रता, मार्गदर्शन और देश के लिए योगदान इतिहास के पन्नों में सदा जीवित रहेंगे। pic.twitter.com/jfqT4PYUis
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 28, 2024
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, suggesting the possibility of constructing a memorial to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the same site where his last rites would take place.
“This follows the tradition of establishing memorials for statesmen and former prime ministers at the location of their funerals,” Kharge said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too took to X, and wrote: “Earlier this morning, Congress President had written to the Prime Minister, suggesting that the cremation of the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades. This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh.”
Earlier this morning, Congress President had written to the Prime Minister, suggesting that the cremation of the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
The people of our country are simply unable…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
Later, a press release from the Union government confirmed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that a site for Dr Singh’s memorial would be designated, while the cremation and other related formalities could proceed in the meantime.
An economist, academician, bureaucrat, and politician, Singh served as the chief economic adviser and secretary in the Ministry of Finance, before becoming a member of the Planning Commission in 1980. In 9182, he was appointed the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He held the post till 1985 before he returned to the Planning Commission.
Singh rose in India’s political horizon as the finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao cabinet. He was instrumental in opening up the Indian economy and changing the country’s socialist economy into a liberalised capitalist one. The shift saw the end of the Licence Raj, and paved the way for foreign direct investment, besides initiating the privatisation of public sector companies.
In 2004, the Congress defeated the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. Sonia Gandhi, who declined to be the prime minister, named Singh to the top office. As the prime minister he strived to improve the living conditions of India’s poor and pushed for a peaceful co-existence with Pakistan.
Singh took over the Prime Minister’s Office for a second term in May 2009. His second term was marred by allegations of corruption and a slowing economic growth of the country. He was in office till 17 May 2014 (continued as acting prime minister till Narendra Modi took over on 26 May).
Singh did not contest the 2014 Parliament election but was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He retired from the Upper House in April 2024, ending his 33 years in parliamentary politics.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
