Congress demands separate memorial site for Dr Manmohan Singh in Delhi
Op IndiaThe funeral of former PM Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday evening in Delhi, will take place on Saturday. This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals.” Kharge added in the letter, “In view of the foregoing, I hope and trust that befitting the stature of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the above request to have the funeral of Dr. Manmohan Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded.” Additionally, party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K C Venugopal also made the request to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. Notably, the Congress party’s demand for a separate memorial for Dr Manmohan Singh marks a departure from the party-led UPA government’s decision to reject demands for separate memorials for former PMs in Delhi. Then in 2013, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II govt decided to set up a common memorial ground at Raj Ghat, titled the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, for the last rites of such VVIPs. In 2015, the Narendra Modi govt accorded the former PM a memorial at Ekta Sthal, former president Giani Zail Singh’s memorial which has been integrated into Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.