Manmohan Singh funeral row: Congress alleges mismanagement, BJP retorts

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh's ashes immersed at Asth Ghat at Majnu ka Tila in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi (TIP)- The row over former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s state funeral spilled into Sunday, December 29, with BJP accusing the Congress of levelling “baseless allegations” of disrespect and mismanagement against the Centre. The opposition party had called the government’s arrangements for Singh’s state funeral a “shocking display” of disrespect and mismanagement.
Hitting back, BJP asked the Congress to stop “politicising” the former prime minister’s death by levelling “baseless allegations” and accord him the dignity he deserved.
On Saturday, the Congress’ media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera levelled a host of allegations against the Centre on the arrangements for Singh’s state funeral at Nigambodh Ghat, saying it was “a shocking display of disrespect and mismanagement”.
“No news agencies except DD (Doordarshan) was allowed; DD focused on Modi and Shah, barely covering Dr Manmohan Singh’s family. Only three chairs were kept in the front row for Dr Singh’s family. Congress leaders had to insist on seats for his daughters and other family members,” he had said in a post on X.
“The Prime Minister and ministers did not stand up when the national flag was handed to the widow of the late prime minister or during the gun salute. The family was given inadequate space around the pyre due to soldiers occupying one side. The public was kept out, left watching from outside the venue,” he had added.
Khera had also alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s motorcade disrupted the funeral procession, leaving cars belonging to Singh’s family members stuck outside.
The gate was closed and the family members needed to be located and brought back in, he had claimed.
“Dr Singh’s grandchildren performing the last rites had to jostle for space to reach the pyre. Diplomats were seated elsewhere and were not visible. Shockingly, the Prime Minister did not stand when the king of Bhutan stood,” Khera had said.
In a point-by-point rebuttal to Khera’s charges, BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya on Sunday accused the Congress of politicising the former prime minister’s death.
“It’s a shame that the Congress continues to politicise former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh death,” he said.
On Khera’s charge that no news agencies except DD was allowed in to cover the event, Malviya said, “MoD (Defence Ministry) has no role in the coverage of functions. In the past as well, only DD has done the coverage. The restriction on entry is by security agencies. National functions are also covered by DD only.” “Seating at the funeral site is arranged by CPWD (Central Public Works Department) in consultation with the Delhi Police. The number of seats in the front row was kept at a maximum, as per the available space. Five seats were earmarked for family members in the first row. These were occupied by Mrs Manmohan Singh and her three daughters,” he said.
The remaining 20 seats were for constitutional authorities who were to lay a wreath, he added.
“These included the President of India, the king of Bhutan, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, leaders of the opposition and service chiefs, among others,” he said.
“No other person was allotted a front-row seat. In the second row, eight seats were earmarked for family members. In the next two rows, the enclosure was earmarked for family members,” he added.
On Khera’s charge that Modi and the Union ministers did not stand up when the national flag was handed to Singh’s widow or during the gun salute, Malviya said the state funeral was done with “full military honours”.
“There was no deviation in the process,” he added.
Reacting to the charge that Singh’s family was given inadequate space around the pyre, Malviya said the site for the funeral was communicated by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Only ceremonial personnel were there around the pyre. The whole space was available for family and priests. No other officials occupied that area,” he added.

49 Comments

  1. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good.
    I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going to a
    famous blogger if you aren’t already ;) Cheers!

  2. Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with
    us so I came to look it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this
    to my followers! Wonderful blog and great style and design.

  3. Hello! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask.
    Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing
    a blog article or vice-versa? My blog addresses a lot of the same topics as yours
    and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email.
    I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by
    the way!

  4. Just wish to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your
    post is simply great and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject.
    Fine with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep updated with
    forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep
    up the rewarding work.

  5. It’s deeply unfortunate that the funeral of a respected former Prime Minister like Dr. Manmohan Singh became a subject of political dispute. The specific allegations about restricted media access and inadequate space for the grieving family, if true, are concerning and detract from the solemn dignity such an occasion demands.

  6. Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t
    loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.

    I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.

  7. It’s in point of fact a nice and helpful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you shared this helpful info with us.
    Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

  8. Hi! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form?
    I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one?
    Thanks a lot!

  9. Today, while Iwas at work, myy cousin stole my iphone and
    tested to see if it can survive a twenty
    ffive foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple
    ipad is now destroyed and she hass 83 views.
    I know this is completely off tokpic but I had to share it with someone!

  10. Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest
    authoring on other sites? I have a blog centered on the same ideas
    you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information.
    I know my viewers would value your work. If you’re even remotely
    interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.

  11. Fantastic blog you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any
    discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed in this article?
    I’d really like to be a part of community where I
    can get suggestions from other experienced people that share
    the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me
    know. Kudos!

  12. Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your site.

    You have some really good posts and I feel I would be a good asset.
    If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love
    to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back
    to mine. Please blast me an email if interested. Regards!

  13. Howdy would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using?

    I’m going to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a
    tough time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
    The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and
    I’m looking for something completely unique.
    P.S Sorry for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

  14. Can I simply just say what a relief to uncover somebody who actually knows what they are talking about on the web.
    You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important.
    A lot more people must look at this and understand this side of the story.

    I was surprised that you’re not more popular since you most certainly have the gift.

  15. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it
    seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.

    You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw away
    your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving
    us something informative to read?

  16. Appreciating the hard work you put into your blog and detailed information you present.
    It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same
    unwanted rehashed information. Excellent read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS
    feeds to my Google account.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.