UPDATES | Dr Singh's funeral at Nigambodh Ghat tomorrow; Cong wants site changed

Jairam Ramesh slams Centre on Dr Singh's funeral site

Jairam Ramesh slams Centre on Dr Singh's funeral site

Earlier this morning, Congress President had written to the Prime Minister, suggesting that the cremation of the former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.

The people of our country are simply unable…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024

Akali Dal flays Centre for declining request for separate memorial site

In Manmohan's death, country has lost great economist: RSS affiliate

The All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS affiliate, paid rich tributes to Manmohan Singh and said with the death of the former prime minister the country has lost a great economist who accelerated economic progress of the country.

In a statement, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram's national president Satyendra Singh said the former prime minister will also be remembered for his sensitivity towards the problems of the tribal society.

"He played an important role in enactment of the Forest Rights Act in 2006 to rectify the historical injustice done to the tribal society," he said.

He had also expressed concern over the "exploitation" of the tribal society many times, Singh added.

"All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram expresses grief over the demise of Padma Vibhushan awardee Dr Manmohan Singh and pays emotional tribute to his memory," the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram chief said.

'Saddened' by passing of Manmohan Singh: Pak FM

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said he was saddened by the passing of former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh who "played a notable role in improving India-Pakistan ties".

Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday night. He was 92.

"Saddened by the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. Born in a village in Pakistan’s Chakwal district, Singh was a distinguished economist and political leader. He will be remembered for his wisdom and gentle demeanour," Dar said in a post on X.

"Beyond his remarkable achievements in the field of economics, Dr. Singh demonstrated a commitment to promoting regional peace. His approach to regional issues reflected his belief that mutual understanding, dialogue and cooperation were essential for collective progress. He played a notable role in improving Pakistan-India bilateral relations during his tenure as Prime Minister," Dar said.

"The people and the Government of Pakistan extend their heartfelt condolences to Dr Manmohan Singh’s family, and the people and the Government of India." Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur, a history professor, and three daughters. PTI 

Would cherish inspiration, wisdom from Manmohan Singh: Chiranjeevi

Expressing grief over the demise of Manmohan Singh on Friday, megastar Chiranjeevi, who had served as a minister during the UPA regime, said he would fondly cherish his interactions with the former Prime Minister forever.

Manmohan Singh's visionary and game-changing contributions as Finance Minister and his highly successful tenure as the Prime Minister for two successive terms will remain etched in history, he said.

"I feel privileged and fortunate to have served as a Member of Parliament and Minister of State for Tourism during the tenure of a stalwart like him. I fondly cherish my interactions with him and the inspiration and wisdom I got from him forever," he said on 'X'.

Manmohan Singh's demise is a tremendous loss to the country, Chiranjeevi said, conveying his condolences to the bereaved family members and the former's admirers.

Putin recalls Manmohan's role in elevating India-Russia ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday described former prime minister Manmohan Singh as an outstanding statesman and recalled his contribution in elevating India-Russia ties to a 'special and privileged strategic' partnership.

In a condolence message, Putin said Singh accomplished a lot in promoting India's economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage.

The strategic partnership between India and Russia was elevated to the level of 'special and privileged strategic partnership during the visit of the Russian president to India in December 2010.

Singh, who served as the prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and widely known as the architect of India's economic reforms, died on Thursday night. He was 92.

"As prime minister and when serving in other high-ranking positions, he accomplished a lot in promoting India's economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage," Putin said.

"He also made a major personal contribution to strengthening friendly ties between our two countries by elevating them to the level of a special and privileged strategic partnership," the Russian president said.

Putin also referred to his conversations with Singh. "I had the occasion of talking with this remarkable man several times. We will cherish the memory of him," he said.

Shivakumar seeks research centre at Bangalore University for Manmohan Singh

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday wrote to the state's Higher Education Minister, M C Sudhakar, requesting necessary steps to establish a research centre at Bangalore University in honour of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The centre would focus on studying, researching, and documenting Singh's programmes and policies.

Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reforms, passed away in New Delhi on Thursday night at the age of 92.

"Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was one of the world’s greatest economists. The globalisation, liberalisation, economic policies, and governance discipline introduced during his tenure made India economically strong," Shivakumar stated, in a note addressed to Sudhakar and the Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University.

Highlighting transformative initiatives like the Right to Information Act (RTI), Right to Education Act (RTE), Food Security Act, and the Aadhaar Card (Unique Identity Card scheme), Shivakumar called them global models.

"Future generations need to be informed about his economic policies and reform measures. A detailed study of Dr Manmohan Singh’s governance and economic policies is essential," he said.

In his honour and memory, I request that necessary steps be taken to establish a research centre at Bangalore University to document and study his programmes so they can be permanently preserved for future generations, he added.

"We will take necessary decisions at the government and cabinet levels," he said.

'We feel someone from our family has died': A village in Pakistan mourns Manmohan's death

“The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died today,” Altaf Hussain told PTI as a group of local residents held a meeting to condole the death of village boy Manmohan who became prime minister next door.

Hussain is a teacher at the same school in Gah village where Manmohan Singh studied up to class 4. His father Gurmukh Singh was a cloth merchant and his mother Amrat Kaur a homemaker. His friends called him ‘Mohna’.

The village lies about 100 km southwest of capital Islamabad and was part of Jhelum district when Singh was born. But it was included in Chakwal when it was made a district in 1986.

Surrounded by lush green fields, the place can be reached from M-2 motorway linking Islamabad to Lahore, as well as from Chakwal city.

The former prime minister died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.

Raja Ashiq Ali, nephew of Raja Muhammad Ali, a schoolmate who travelled to Delhi in 2008 to meet him, addressed the meeting.

“All these villagers are deeply moved… They were eager to attend his last rites in India but it is not possible. So they are here to mourn,” he said.

Singh’s rise brought to spotlight his forgotten ancestral village, surrounded by lush fields.

Some classmates who were around when he became prime minister in 2004 are dead now. But their families still live in Gah, and cherish the old link.

“We are still overwhelmed by the memory of the days when everyone in the village felt proud that a boy from our village had become the prime minister of India,” Ashiq Ali said.

The most iconic place in the village is perhaps the school where Singh got his early education. His admission number in the register is 187, and the date of admission April 17, 1937. His date of birth is entered as February 4, 1932, his caste as ‘Kohli’.

Local people credit Singh being from the village for the renovation of the school, and say there was some talk about naming it after the Indian politician. Singh's rise in India prompted local authorities to concentrate on the development of the village, they believe.

He shifted to Chakwal after class 4. Shortly before Partition, the family moved to Amritsar, according to the villagers.

Singh invited one of his friends, Raja Muhammad Ali, to visit him in Delhi in 2008. Ali died in 2010, and so did a couple of other friends in the years that followed.

‘Mohna’ never came back to Gah and finally the news of his passing arrived, severing the bond with the village.

“Dr Manmohan Singh could not come to Gah in his lifetime. But now when he is no more, we want that someone from his family should come and pay a visit to this village,” the schoolteacher said.

Kharge writes to PM Modi for separate memorial site

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct the last rites of former PM Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built.

He wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.

"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.

"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.

The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.

He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.

Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".

He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.

The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.

"Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in his letter to Modi. PTI 

One of makers of modern India: Menon