Dr. Manmohan Singh's Last Rites to be Held with Full State Honors; President Murmu, PM Modi Likely to Be in Attendance

The last rites of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will be held on Saturday at Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat with full state honors, starting at 11:45 AM. In tribute to Dr. Singh, the Union Government has declared a seven-day state mourning, during which the national flag will fly at half-mast across the country. In addition, Congress has canceled all official events for the week, including its Foundation Day celebrations, which will now resume on January 3.

In the meantime, a dispute has emerged between the Congress and the Central Government regarding the location of a memorial for the former Prime Minister. Congress has expressed dissatisfaction with the allocation of Nigambodh Ghat for the funeral, suggesting it is not an appropriate site for a permanent memorial.

In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called for establishing a memorial at the same location where Dr. Singh’s last rites would be performed. “I made a request to hold Dr. Manmohan Singh's last rites at his final resting place, which would be a sacrosanct venue for a memorial of the great son of India. This is in keeping with the tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former prime ministers at the very place of their funerals,” wrote Kharge.

BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan responded sharply to Congress's demand, calling the party's actions "ironic." He reminded Kharge that the Congress-led UPA government had not constructed a memorial for former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who passed away in 2004.

The Centre, however, has clarified that it will allocate a proper site for Dr. Singh’s memorial. The government assured that the space would be designated after the formation of a trust, and this decision had already been communicated to both Kharge and Dr. Singh's family. In the interim, the government emphasized that the funeral proceedings and other formalities would proceed at Nigambodh Ghat.

Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night after a prolonged battle with health issues. Renowned as the 'architect of India’s economic reforms,' he served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Born in 1932, Dr. Singh was a distinguished economist, educated at Cambridge and Oxford. His leadership in the 1990s was pivotal in transforming India’s economy through liberalization, and in recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1987.

The news of Dr. Singh’s passing has sparked an outpouring of tributes from global leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were among those who expressed their condolences, all acknowledging Dr. Singh’s instrumental role in shaping India’s economic modernization and his legacy on the world stage.