As nation mourns, politics resurfaces: Memorial dispute erupts hours before Manmohan Singh's funeral

A conflict over a memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh erupted just hours before his funeral on Dec 28, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to urge the Congress to refrain from engaging in "shady politics" in his honor.

On Dec 27, Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the Congress, discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the possibility of building a memorial for Manmohan Singh at the site of his final ceremonies. "This is in keeping with the tradition of establishing memorials for statesmen and former prime ministers at the location of their funerals," said Kharge.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh quickly criticized the BJP, questioning why the government could not identify a location for the memorial. He called it an insult to India's first Sikh prime minister.

In response, the government issued a press release stating that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that a place for Singh's memorial would be allocated. The statement emphasized that the cremation and other formalities could proceed in the meantime.

The BJP further urged the Congress to stop politicizing Singh’s death. "Congress should remember how they treated former PM Narasimha Rao after his passing. The daughter of Shri Pranab Mukherjee also tweeted about how shabbily her father, a former president, was treated by the Congress," the party said in a statement.

On Dec 28, the BJP reiterated that the Congress was continuing to play politics over the matter, despite a decision to honor former PM Manmohan Singh with a memorial, which had been communicated to Congress leaders on Dec 27.

"BJP and the NDA government, led by Prime Minister Modi, are fully committed to giving due respect to Manmohan Singh, who laid the foundation for the country's economic development," said BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi.

"Yesterday, the cabinet decided that a memorial and mausoleum would be built in memory of Manmohan Singh, and this decision was communicated to the Congress party," Trivedi added. "The government has decided to build a memorial, and while processes such as land acquisition, the formation of a trust, and land transfer are completed, the work will be carried out as soon as possible," he said, referring to statements made by Amit Shah to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Trivedi also criticized the Congress, saying, "The Congress, which never respected Dr. Manmohan Singh during his lifetime, is now playing politics even after his death. I want to remind the country that Dr. Singh was the first Prime Minister of India outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to hold office for 10 years."

He further urged, "At least today, in this hour of grief, politics should be avoided. As far as our government is concerned, Prime Minister Modi's government has shown respect to all leaders, rising above party lines."

Singh served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. Prior to that, he was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and also served as the Finance Minister under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.

He passed away at AIIMS Delhi on Dec 26 at the age of 92. Singh's final ceremonies, with full state honors, will take place at Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi on Dec 28 at 11:45 am.

The Union Home Ministry has announced that the country will observe a seven-day national mourning in memory of the former prime minister. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across India.