Manmohan Singh memorial row: Understanding the provision for separate memorials amid Congress-BJP war of words

Congress had sought to have Singh’s cremation conducted at a location where a memorial could later be established in his honour.

Rahul Gandhi criticised the government's decision to conduct the cremation at Nigambodh Ghat, calling it a slight to Singh’s legacy. Gandhi said that the government had “insulted” the “great son of Mother India and the Sikh community’s first Prime Minister”.

What Centre said on separate memorial for Manmohan Singh

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement noting that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the family of Manmohan Singh about the government's decision to allocate space for a memorial. “In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it,” the MHA said.

Union Minister JP Nadda dismissed the Congress’s claims as baseless and accused its leadership of playing politics over Singh’s death. “It is necessary to remember the history of Congress. After the death of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, there was a demand to build a Samadhi Sthal in Delhi’s Rajghat complex. But at that time Sonia Gandhi had rejected it. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who established a memorial for him in 2015,” Nadda said.

What is the provision for separate memorials?

The ongoing dispute also highlights the UPA government’s 2013 decision to create a common memorial ground, Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, to address the scarcity of land for individual memorials. This policy, ironically, was initiated under Singh’s leadership as Prime Minister.

The demand for a separate memorial for Singh has also brought into focus the Congress’s controversial history of sidelining its leaders outside the Nehru-Gandhi family. Observers have often criticised the party for underplaying the contributions of figures like PV Narasimha Rao.

Rao, India’s first non-Nehru-Gandhi Congress Prime Minister to complete a full term, faced humiliation posthumously. In 2004, his body was not allowed inside the Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, and his cortege was left on the pavement outside. Unlike other Congress Prime Ministers, Rao has no dedicated resting place in Delhi.

Adding to the controversy, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri claimed that Congress leaders did not accompany Singh’s family when his ashes were immersed in the Yamuna River. “While BJP leaders were present, senior Congress leaders were notably absent,” Puri said on Sunday (December 29).

Congress leaders responded by emphasising their respect for Singh’s family’s privacy. “Our absence was out of deference to the wishes of the family, who wanted a private ceremony,” said a senior Congress leader.