Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and several other senior party leaders and workers paid tribute to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Congress headquarters here on Saturday.
Shortly after this, Singh’s last journey began. His last rites will be performed at Nigambodh Ghat. The mortal remains of the former Prime Minister were brought from his residence to the Congress headquarters at around 9 am, where party leaders and workers were already waiting to pay their last respects.
After Singh’s mortal remains were kept at the Congress headquarters ’24 Akbar Road’, Sonia Gandhi, Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and many other party leaders paid tribute to him. Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and some other members of his family were also present at the Congress headquarters. A large number of workers were already queuing up to have the last glimpse of the former Prime Minister and they paid tearful tributes to the gentle leader of Indian politics.
Questioning the government’s decision to cremate Nigambodh, the Congress had on Friday said that Singh’s last rites should be held at a place where his memorial can also be built. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh had alleged that not being able to find a place for Singh’s cremation and memorial was a deliberate insult to India’s first Sikh Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry had said on Friday night that the government will allot space for a memorial to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Former Finance Minister and two-time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, known as the father of economic reforms in India, died on Thursday. He was 92 years old. Singh’s mortal remains were kept for the last darshan of the people at his residence ‘3 Motilal Nehru Marg’ on Friday, where the leaders, rising above party sentiments, paid their last respects to the late leader.
Many prominent leaders including President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other personalities paid tribute to Manmohan Singh at his residence on Friday. . Congress leader Singh was the Prime Minister of the country for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and before that he helped in strengthening the economic structure of the country as the Finance Minister. He was a renowned name globally in the financial and economic sectors.
The government led by him launched age-changing schemes like Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). Singh, who always wore a blue turban, was appointed Finance Minister of India in the Narasimha Rao government in 1991. His role in initiating a comprehensive policy of economic reforms is recognized throughout the world.
