BJP Condemns Congress Over Manmohan Singh’s Final Rites

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for what they claim is politicizing the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress of engaging in “deceptive politics” after Rahul Gandhi expressed his disapproval of the decision to cremate Manmohan Singh at Nigambodh Ghat, a public cremation ground in Delhi.

“The kind of deceptive politics Congress has engaged in, especially Rahul Gandhi, is unfortunate. Just an hour ago, Rahul Gandhi tweeted accusing the BJP of disrespecting former PM Manmohan Singh by conducting his last rites at Nigam Bodh Ghat. On a day of mourning, I believe Congress should have refrained from this kind of politics,” said BJP MP Sambit Patra.

Rahul Gandhi’s Criticism

This comes hours after Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, criticized the Modi government for the manner in which Manmohan Singh’s last rites were performed.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi, who often refers to Singh as his “mentor,” expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to cremate Singh at Nigambodh Ghat, a public cremation ground in Delhi.

“The great son of India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

Gandhi, a vocal critic of the current NDA government, argued that Singh, who served as India’s PM for a decade, deserved the highest respect:

“To date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorized burial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr Manmohan 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 added in the post.

Row Over Manmohan Singh’s Memorial

earlier, the Congress party had called for Singh’s funeral to take place at a location suitable for building a memorial honoring his legacy.

However, the Centre stated that land for a memorial would be allocated in the coming days, but it wouldn’t be the same location as the cremation. The Congress termed this decision a “deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India.”

In response to the criticism, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that the cremation be held at a location conducive to building a memorial for Singh.

BJP’s Sambit Patra asserted that a cabinet meeting was convened by the Centre immediately after news of Dr. Singh’s demise, and the Home Minister assured Dr. Singh’s family and Congress that the government would allocate land and carry out the necessary procedures for the memorial. He further stated, “We assured Dr Singh’s family and Congress to go ahead with the funeral and last rites process by the time the government allocates the land and other necessary procedures. The Congress party engaged in politics on this matter as well,” said Patra.

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