New Delhi [India], December 28 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday praised Dr Manmohan Singh for bringing many "revolutions" during his tenure as the Prime Minister of India. He reiterated the words spoken by the former PM, saying that the media and opposition will have to remember him.
The citizens will remember him for the works he undertook and the rights he granted through Constitutional means, he added.
"Before he died, Manmohan Singh had made it very clear that the media and opposition would have to remember him. Every citizen of this country has to remember him for the work he undertook. He gave rights through the Constitution. Be it the right to education, right to food, right to employment, and right to transparency...he brought many revolutions...he looked at every section of the society," Shivakumar told reporters as he arrived at AICC headquarters to pay his last respects.
Speaking on the issue of allocating space for a memorial for Dr Singh, Shivakumar said, "This the need of the hour...I hope good mind will prevail upon them (Government) and they will give whatever is the request of the Congress party."
The mortal remains of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were brought to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi from his residence on Saturday.
The mortal remains have been kept there for the party workers to pay their last respects. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid their final respects to the veteran politician who died on Thursday night.
Several other politicians are arriving at AICC HQ for 'last darshan' ahead of the cremation ceremony which is scheduled to be held at 11:45 PM at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi's Kashmere Gate.
Meanwhile, the preparations for the funeral march are underway at Nigambodh Ghat in honour of Dr Manmohan Singh.
Several people also gathered outside the residence of the former Prime Minister in Delhi to pay their last respects. Jasmeet, a resident of East Delhi, said that she has come with her husband Hatendra Pal to pay tributes to Manmohan Singh who she credits for making India famous, globally.
Delhi Traffic Police had issued an advisory earlier, outlining restrictions and diversions on major routes in New Delhi, urging the public to avoid certain roads and use public transport to help ease congestion.
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and requested to have the funeral of Dr Manmohan Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, according to a post by the Indian National Congress on X.
"I am writing this in the context of the sad demise of Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. Apropos our telephonic conversation this morning, wherein I requested 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 the 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 wrote in his letter.
Kharge further said that a memorial would be a fitting tribute to a leader who rose from humble beginnings to become a statesman of immense stature.
Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah communicated to Congress President Kharge and the family of late Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it.
Dr Singh's political career spanned several decades, with notable positions including Finance Minister from 1991 to 1996, during which he spearheaded economic reforms that transformed India's economy. He served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014, succeeding Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His tenure is particularly remembered for his steady leadership during economic crises and his contributions to modernizing India's economy.
After his second term, Dr Singh retired from public life, having led India through a period of unprecedented growth and international recognition. He was succeeded by Narendra Modi in 2014 after the Congress-led UPA lost the general elections.