Congress Seeks Separate Resting Place for Manmohan Singh in Delhi

The Congress has formally requested the Central Government to allocate a resting place for late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along the banks of the Yamuna river in Delhi, a location where several former Prime Ministers have their memorials.

According to reports, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has conveyed the party's request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal followed up with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday, reports added.

At present, the government has not yet responded to the Congress's request. It is noteworthy that during Singh's tenure as Prime Minister, the UPA government had opposed demands for separate memorials. In 2013, the UPA Cabinet decided to establish a unified memorial ground, Rashtriya Smriti Sthal at Raj Ghat, in response to space constraints.

The Congress's call for a distinct memorial for Singh stands out given the party's historical criticism of downplaying the contributions of its leaders outside the Gandhi family. This has been particularly evident in the case of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who was often sidelined by the Congress after his passing in 2004.