CWC meet in tribute to Manmohan Singh in Delhi Photo: PTI CWC meet in tribute to Manmohan Singh in Delhi Photo: PTI Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urging him to conduct Former PM Manmohan Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
The Congress on Friday alleged that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial for Manmohan Singh is a 'deliberate insult' to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
This issue was raised after the Union home ministry in a statement announced that Singh's last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 AM on Saturday with full state honours.
Kharge's Letter To PM Modi Urging To Conduct Last Rites At A Location For A Memorial To Be BuiltHe wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.
"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
Also Read | Last Rites Of Former PM Manmohan Singh On Dec 28, To Be Held With State Honours
Sreejesh, who retired from the national team after the Paris Olympics, opened up about his love story during an interaction with PTI editors on Tuesday, speaking candidly about how he fell for Aneeshya. He was already studying at the sports school, located in Kannur, when Aneeshya got admitted in 2001.
“The number 16 jersey that PR Sreejesh used will now be retired. This is for the senior team. For junior the jersey will be there for they want Sreejesh to groom the next Sreejesh,” Hockey India secretary general Bholanath Singh said.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.
He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".
He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted."Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in his letter to Modi.
Also Read | A Timeline Of Dr Manmohan Singh’s Life
Jairam Ramesh Calls It 'Deliberate Insult'Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in post on X said, "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 that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades."
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singhcasinyeam," the Congress leader alleged.