Government Allocates Space for Manmohan Singh's Memorial; J P Nadda Criticises Congress for Political Opportunism

The BJP president, J P Nadda, stated that the Centre had allocated a site for Manmohan Singh's memorial and informed his family. He accused the Congress of engaging in petty politics over the former prime minister's cremation. This response came after Congress claimed that the Centre insulted Singh by conducting his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated memorial site.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, criticised the BJP-led Centre for disrespecting Singh, India's first Sikh prime minister. He said performing Singh's last rites at Nigambodh Ghat was an insult to a great son of Mother India. Nadda responded sharply, expressing disappointment that Congress leaders were politicising Singh's death.

Political Accusations and Memorial Plans

Nadda condemned Congress for not respecting Singh during his lifetime and now using his name for political gain. He emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had allocated space for Singh's memorial and informed his family. Despite this, Nadda accused Congress of spreading falsehoods about the situation.

Nadda urged Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and other Congress leaders to stop engaging in what he termed as "cheap politics." He alleged that the Congress had undermined the prime minister's position by placing Sonia Gandhi as a super prime minister over Singh. Nadda also recalled an incident where Rahul Gandhi publicly disrespected Singh by tearing an ordinance.

Historical Context and Allegations

The BJP chief accused the Gandhi family of not respecting leaders outside their circle. He cited examples like BR Ambedkar, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pranab Mukherjee, and Sitaram Kesri. Nadda claimed Sonia Gandhi rejected a request for a monument to Rao, whose funeral was held in Hyderabad instead of Delhi.

Nadda highlighted that Modi established Rao's memorial in 2015 and honoured him with the Bharat Ratna. He also mentioned that after Vajpayee's passing, Congress leaders continued to insult him. In 2020, when Pranab Mukherjee died, the Congress Working Committee did not hold a condolence meeting.

Memorials and Recognition

Nadda noted that in 2013, the Congress-led UPA government decided against separate memorials for leaders. However, Modi built the Prime Ministers Museum and Library to honour them. Nadda accused Congress of only building memorials for its family members and urged them to learn from Modi about true respect.

He pointed out that around 600 government schemes and institutions were named after Nehru-Gandhi family members by Congress governments. In contrast, schemes named after other personalities are few. Nadda asserted that India will neither forget nor forgive what he called the unprincipled actions of Congress.

Union Minister's Remarks

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticised Congress and Rahul Gandhi for promoting their political agenda during national mourning. He questioned whether this was not an insult to Singh and why his family's sentiments were being mocked. Pradhan stated that after Singh's demise, the Union Cabinet decided on a memorial site.

Pradhan mentioned that Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Singh's family and Congress president Kharge about these plans. He urged Congress to refrain from shameful politics during this time of grief and respect Dr Manmohan Singh's memory.