‘Totally insulted by the present government’: Rahul Gandhi on Manmohan Singh’s cremation – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday lashed out at the government’s decision to conduct former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cremation at Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated memorial site, calling it a “grave insult” to the late leader.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “The great son of Mother 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 at Nigambodh Ghat.”
Rahul also wrote about Singh’s legacy, describing him as a leader whose policies elevated India to an economic superpower and provided critical support to the underprivileged.

Highlighting what he termed as a deviation from tradition, the Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said, “Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorised 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.”

‘Govt couldn’t allocate even 1,000 yards’: Kejriwal

Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed shock over the decision to cremate Singh at Nigambodh Ghat, stating, “The BJP government could not provide even 1,000 yards of land for the last rites and burial of Dr. Manmohan Singh, who belonged to the Sikh community and was renowned all over the world.”
The Congress party yesterday had echoed similar sentiments, accusing the BJP-led government of deliberately disrespecting Singh’s stature. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that Singh’s funeral be conducted at a site where a memorial could later be constructed.
“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 befitting of his global stature,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh added.
The government, however, announced plans to allocate space for a memorial for Singh. The Union home ministry clarified that the request for a memorial was received on the morning of the cremation day and that “space has to be allocated to a trust” before construction can proceed.
Singh, who served as Prime Minister for a decade and is remembered for his economic reforms and steady leadership during global financial crises, passed away on Thursday night at AIIMS, Delhi. He was cremated on Saturday with full state honours.