The mortal remains of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi’s Kashmere Gate. The last rites, with full state honours, will be performed in the presence of government dignitaries and officials, including President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived at Nigambodh Ghat to attend the last rites of the former Prime Minister. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also reached the location.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, along with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will also remain present at the VIP Ghat, where the rituals for the cremation ceremony will be performed.
Acharya Yogesh Kumar Sharma said that the rituals for the cremation ceremony will be performed using sandalwood sticks, and the last rites will be conducted according to Sikh rituals.
“The rituals will be performed using sandalwood sticks… The last rites will be performed as per Sikh rituals at the VIP Ghat. Those who are coming for the last rites, including the President, Vice President, and Prime Minister, will reach here. Homage will be offered to him once everyone arrives,” Sharma told ANI.
Paying tribute to the late Dr. Singh, Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry said that he made lifelong laws that benefited crores of people. “His demise is a loss for everyone,” he added.
Congress leader Mumtaz Patel said, “Today, India has lost a great man. He was not just a good leader but also a very good human being. People called him a weak Prime Minister, but that was absolutely wrong. He always worked for the country; he was a strong and kind person.”
Congress MP Manish Tewari said, “Today is a very poignant moment. A very fine person, a renowned economist, and a world statesman is no longer with us… It is a sad day not only for India but for the world… He lived a very noble and simple life… May his soul rest in peace…”
The mortal remains were kept at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters early Saturday morning for party workers to pay their final respects.
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and requested that Dr. Manmohan Singh’s funeral be held at a place where his memorial can be built, according to a post by the Indian National Congress on X.
Kharge further said that a memorial would be a fitting tribute to a leader who rose from humble beginnings to become a statesman of immense stature.
After the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah communicated to Congress President Kharge and the family of the late Manmohan Singh that the government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meantime, cremation and other formalities can proceed because a trust has to be formed, and space must be allocated for it.
