“Enjoying Politics”: Navjot Sidhu Slams BJP Over Manmohan Singh Memorial Row

New Delhi:

Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed the Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) over the difficulty of allocation of house for a memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and accused the ruling occasion of “enjoying politics.”

Attacking BJP additional, Mr Sidhu requested how had the occasion felt if former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not obtained a memorial at Rajghat. He additional stated that this difficulty is just not of 1 occasion however of your complete nation’s historical past.

Talking to reporters, Mr Sidhu stated, “When an individual dies, all enmity vanishes with him… however politics is being performed right here. I ask a small query if Atal Ji’s final rites have been to be carried out and somebody had stated that the memorial wouldn’t be constructed at Raj Ghat, it will be constructed elsewhere, how would you’re feeling?… This difficulty is just not of any occasion however of the nation’s historical past…”

Aam Aadmi Occasion MP Sanjay Singh slammed the BJP-led central authorities on the difficulty of allocation of house for a memorial for Dr Singh, saying that it’s unlucky that leaders even have to speak about this difficulty.

Mr Singh requested the federal government to inform the title of any former PM whose final rites have been carried out at Nigambodh Ghat and never within the Rajghat premises.

Talking to ANI, Sanjay Singh stated, “It’s unlucky that we even have to speak about this. This exhibits how obnoxious the federal government’s considering is… I need to ask PM Narendra Modi, why are you not prepared to present house for PM Manmohan Singh’s final rites within the Rajghat premises? This occasion calls itself essentially the most cultured? Inform me the title of 1 former PM whose final rites have been carried out in Nigambodh… How disrespected the Sikh neighborhood should really feel…”

Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa stated, “This isn’t a problem in any respect, PM Modi’s authorities ought to have considered it beforehand. The entire nation needs that his final rites needs to be carried out on the identical place the place his memorial is to be constructed. This demand isn’t just of Congress, not simply of Punjab and Sikh neighborhood, this can be a worldwide demand of all Indians. There isn’t a want to consider it, the federal government ought to have considered it beforehand…”

Earlier at this time, BJP nationwide spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a scathing assault on Congress for indulging in “politics” over the demise of Dr Manmohan Singh. He stated that Congress by no means revered the previous PM.

Mr Trivedi stated it was Congress’ historical past that they by no means revered any chief outdoors the Gandhi household.

“At the very least at this time, on this hour of grief, politics needs to be prevented,” he stated, including that the Modi authorities has revered all leaders regardless of the occasion affiliation by giving Bharat Ratna to former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Madan Mohan Malviya and former President Pranab Mukherjee.

On Friday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Residence Minister Amit Shah over the cellphone and requested to have the funeral of Manmohan Singh at a spot the place his memorial may be constructed, in accordance with a put up by the Indian Nationwide Congress on X.

“I’m scripting this within the context of the unhappy demise of Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. Apropos our telephonic dialog this morning, whereby I requested to carry Dr Manmohan Singh’s final rites, which is able to happen tomorrow i.e. twenty eighth December 2024, at his last resting place that might be a sacrosanct venue for the memorial of the good son of India. That is in line with such custom of getting memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers on the very place of their funerals,” Mr Kharge wrote in his letter.

Instantly after the Cupboard assembly, Residence Minister Amit Shah communicated to Mr Kharge and the household of late Manmohan Singh that the Authorities will allocate house for the memorial.

“In the intervening time, cremation and different formalities can occur as a result of a belief needs to be shaped and house needs to be allotted to it,” the federal government stated.

Manmohan Singh died on Thursday on the age of 92 attributable to age-related medical situations. He had a sudden lack of consciousness at residence after which he was rushed to AIIMS, Delhi.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)