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In a significant escalation of the row over the choice of Dr Manmohan Singh's cremation site, senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the BJP-ruled government at the Centre and accused it of "insulting" the memory of the two-term Prime Minister and not thinking beyond "politics and narrow-mindedness".
Leading a no-holds-barred counterattack, BJP president JP Nadda said the Congress and Rahul Gandhi were playing "cheap politics" in Mr Singh's name and accused the party of not doing justice to any leader who was not from the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Dr Singh, who died at the age of 92 on Thursday, was cremated at the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi with full state honours on Saturday. A day before the funeral, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, citing Dr Singh's stature and his contributions to the country, requested that the last rites be conducted in a place where a memorial could also be built in his name.
As the controversy over the memorial gathered steam, the Centre issued a release ahead of the funeral stating that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said a place would be allocated for Dr Singh's memorial and the cremation should take place in the meantime.
'Should Have Shown Respect'
Rahul Gandhi tweeted after the funeral, however, that the BJP had "totally insulted" the first Prime Minister from the Sikh community by having his last rites conducted at Nigambodh Ghat.
"The great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat. He was the Prime Minister of India for a decade, during his tenure the country became an economic superpower and his policies still support the poor and backward classes of the country," Mr Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, posted on X.
"Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorised burial sites so that every person could have the last 'darshan' and pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community," he added.
Highlighting many of the same issues as her brother, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the government should have thought "beyond politics and narrow-mindedness" when it came to Dr Singh's funeral site.
"By not providing an adequate place for the cremation of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Government has not done justice to the dignity of the post of former Prime Minister, the personality of Manmohan Singh, his legacy and the self-respecting Sikh community. Earlier, all former Prime Ministers were given the highest honour and respect. Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji deserves this honour and Samadhi Sthal... The government should have thought beyond politics and narrow-mindedness in this matter," Ms Gandhi said.
The Congress MP also claimed that Dr Singh's family was "struggling for space" at the funeral site.
'Cheap Politics'
Hitting out at the Congress and Rahul Gandhi over the claims, BJP President JP Nadda said "cheap politics" was being played over Dr Singh's cremation and pointed out that the Centre had already stated that space would be allotted for his memorial. Repeating a charge that the BJP has frequently levelled against the Congress, he also accused the party of placing its then-president Sonia Gandhi as 'super PM' over Manmohan Singh when he was the Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014.
"It is indeed ironic that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and current president Mallikarjun Kharge are not refraining from doing politics even over the sad demise of the country's former Prime Minister, the honourable Manmohan Singh... The Congress, which never gave real respect to Dr Manmohan Singh while he was alive, is now doing politics in the name of his respect. This is the same Congress which tarnished the dignity of the PM post by placing Sonia Gandhi as 'super PM' over PM Manmohan Singh," the Union Minister said in Hindi.
Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi for "tearing up" an ordinance passed by the Manmohan Singh cabinet in 2013, the BJP politician also accused the Gandhis of neither respecting nor doing justice to any senior leader who was not from their family. He cited the examples of Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pranab Mukherjee and PV Narasimha Rao.
"After the death of former Prime Minister Shri Narasimha Rao on 23 December, 2004, there was a demand to build a 'samadhi sthal' (memorial) in Delhi's Rajghat complex, but super PM Sonia Gandhi did not approve it. His body was not even given a place in the Congress office. Congress did not want Narasimha Rao ji's last rites to be performed in Delhi and later his last rites were performed in Hyderabad. It was Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji who also built a 'samadhi' for Narasimha Rao ji in 2015 and honoured him by giving him Bharat Ratna in 2024," he said.
"According to an estimate, Congress governments in the country have named about 600 government schemes, educational institutions, awards, roads, national parks, museums, airports, ports, buildings and sports after the Nehru-Gandhi family, while the number of schemes named after other personalities is very few. Our country will never forget and will never forgive the historical sins of the unprincipled Congress. Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders of the Congress party should refrain from such cheap politics," he added.