New|Delhi|Dec,28: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s last rites were conducted with full state honours at Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday morning after top leaders from across party lines flocked to pay their last respects to the architect of India’s economic liberalisation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, followed by top BJP leaders like Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda. President Droupadi Murmu and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge offered floral wreaths. Foreign dignitaries like the King of Bhutan Jigme Wangchuk and the foreign minister of Mauritius were also present. Earlier in the day, Singh’s final journey began from the Congress headquarters, where party leaders gathered to pay tribute. A flower-adorned vehicle carried the two-time PM’s body in a solemn procession as supporters chanted “Manmohan Singh amar rahe (Manmohan Singh lives forever)”.
Hundreds of Congress workers, leaders, and supporters walked alongside the procession as it wended through the national capital. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accompanied Singh’s family on the way. Meanwhile, the Centre agreed to allocate space for a memorial of the former Prime Minister after a war of words broke out between the BJP and the Congress. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge had written to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, requesting that Singh’s last rites be performed at a place where a memorial could be built for him.
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Manmohan Singh’s body arrived at the Congress headquarters on Saturday, giving the public and Congress workers a final opportunity to pay their tributes before the procession begins. His funeral is expected to be held at Nigambodh Ghat crematorium at 11.45 am, according to sources. Immediately after the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah communicated to Mallikarjun Kharge and the family of late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Government would allocate space for the memorial, according to a statement. It further said that cremation and other formalities could happen because a trust had to be formed and space had to be allocated to it.
Authorities had issued a traffic advisory in view of the former Prime Minister’s state funeral. Diversions are set at Raja Ram Kohli Marg, Rajghat Red Light, Signature Bridge, and Yudhister Setu, with heavy traffic expected in these areas. Restrictions will be in place on roads including the Ring Road (Mahatma Gandhi Marg), Nishad Raj Marg, Boulevard Road, SPM Marg, Lothian Road, and Netaji Subhash Marg from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Centre has declared a seven-day national mourning period until January 1, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the country. The national flag will also be flown at half-mast at all Indian missions and high commissions. A half-day holiday will also be declared in all central government offices and Central Public Sector Undertakings on Saturday. Besides the central government, several states, including Haryana, Punjab, Manipur, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Assam, have declared official mourning to honour the former Prime Minister.
Earlier on Friday, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condoled the death of Singh and described him as an eminent statesman and a distinguished leader who left an imprint on national life. “Dr Manmohan Singh has left his imprint on our national life. In his passing away, the nation has lost an eminent statesman, renowned economist and a distinguished leader,” a resolution passed by the cabinet read.
In a video message, PM Modi recalled Manmohan Singh’s journey and said that his life will always serve as a lesson for future generations on how someone can rise above deprivation and struggle to attain the heights of success. “Manmohan Singh’s contribution to the development of India will always be remembered,” PM Modi said. “Manmohan Singh’s life was a reflection of his honesty and simplicity. He was a distinguished parliamentarian. His life will always be a lesson on how a person can attain success by rising above deprivation, and struggle.”
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) mourned the loss of a “true statesman” whose life and work have profoundly shaped the destiny of India. “Dr Singh was a towering figure in India’s political and economic landscape, whose contributions transformed the country and earned him respect worldwide. As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, D Singh was the architect of India’s economic liberalisation,” the CWC resolution stated. Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, along with BJP President JP Nadda, also paid tribute to Singh. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav offered their final respects to the former Prime Minister. Several foreign dignitaries, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, also extended their condolences, recalling their diplomatic engagements with Singh.
