The Union Home Ministry announced on Friday night that the government will allocate space for a memorial dedicated to former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The decision was communicated to his family and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the ministry said in a statement.
The announcement came in a late-night release titled “Facts of the matter regarding memorial for Former Prime Minister Late Dr. Manmohan Singh”. The ministry revealed that the government received a formal request from Congress chief Kharge for the allocation of space to honor Singh’s legacy.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly informed Kharge and Singh’s family about the decision immediately after a Cabinet meeting. However, the ministry clarified that the cremation and related formalities would proceed as scheduled, as the process of forming a trust and officially allocating the space for the memorial would take time.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 92, served as India’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. He is widely remembered for spearheading India’s economic reforms and leading the Congress-led UPA government for a decade.
The Congress, meanwhile, accused the government of disrespecting Singh, India’s first Sikh Prime Minister, by allegedly failing to arrange a suitable location for his cremation and memorial. The party raised objections after the home ministry announced that Singh’s last rites would take place with full state honors at New Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday.