Rahul Gandhi accused BJP of insulting the former Prime Minister

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the BJP 'insulted' former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by allegedly denying the party's request to conduct his last rites at a designated site where a memorial could be built.

"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 today at the Nigambodh Ghat," Gandi said, hours after the funeral was completed.

The Congress on Friday urged the Centre to perform the former prime minister's last rites at a dedicated memorial site. However, the government decided to cremate the body at Nigambodh Ghat, a public crematorium. This sparked a massive controversy, and the Union Home Ministry later clarified that a memorial for Singh will be built in Delhi, and the decision has been communicated to his family.

Ragul Gandhi, in a tweet, said that the last rites of former prime ministers have traditionally been conducted at designated burial sites to ensure public access for paying homage respectfully.

"He was the Prime Minister of India for a decade, during his tenure the



country became an economic superpower and his policies are still the support of the poor and backward classes of the country. 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," Gandhi said.

He stressed, "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".

On Friday, a BJP-Congress war of words erupted over the cremation and memorial for Singh. Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh called it a "deliberate insult," while the saffron party swiftly countered, calling it an unnecessary row.

The Centre issued a statement on Friday night titled 'Facts of the Matter Regarding the Memorial for Former Prime Minister Late Dr Manmohan Singh', which stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had communicated to Kharge and Singh's family that the government would allocate space for the memorial. In the meantime, cremation and other formalities could proceed, as a trust needs to be formed and space allocated to it.