Manmohan Singh Death News Updates: Former PM’s last rites to be held tomorrow at Nigambodh Ghat

Congress Jairam Ramesh said it wasn't clear why the government was unable to find a location for the cremation of former prime minister Manmohan Singh that would "honour his legacy".

The party general secretary in-charge of communications said that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that the cremation of Singh take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.

"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades. This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," Ramesh wrote on X.

In the corridors of the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), where ideas often find shape and future leaders are quietly moulded, the memories of former prime minister Manmohan Singh remain deeply etched.

Long before he became the architect of India's economic liberalisation and later, its prime minister, Singh was a professor at the DSE, nurturing minds with the clarity and grace that would go on to define his public life.

The DSE community is in mourning following the demise of Singh, who breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday at the age of 92.

The institution remembers him not just as a celebrated economist and statesman but as one of its own -- a mentor, a colleague and an honorary professor.

He held an overseas bank account that had his earnings from working abroad. The value of his savings, in rupee terms, went up following the July 1991 decision of the government to devalue the Indian currency.

Instead of pocketing the gains, Manmohan Singh, who was the finance minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government at that time, just wrote a cheque for the incremental gains and had it deposited in the Prime Minister National Relief Fund.

Recounting the incident, Ramu Damodaran, who was private secretary to the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, said shortly after the devaluation decision, Manmohan Singh visited the PM's office.

He walked straight into the PM's room from his car, but on the way out, he detoured to come to Damodaran's room.

"Maybe a couple of days after the devaluation. He came for a meeting (with PM), and on the way out, he handed over a small envelope to me and asked me to deposit it in the PM's National Relief Fund," Damodaran told PTI from New York, where he is currently posted as permanent observer for the University for Peace to the United Nations.

The envelope contained a cheque for "a huge amount". "I don't recall the sum mentioned, but it was a significant amount," he said.

“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.

The All India Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS affiliate, paid 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.

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.

-PTI

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.

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.

The last rites of former prime minister Manmohan Singh will be conducted at 11:45 am Saturday at the Nigambodh Ghat crematorium in New Delhi with State honours, the Union Home Ministry said.

Singh died Thursday night at the AIIMS here at the age of 92.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a communication on Friday that the Ministry of Defence has been requested to make arrangements for according Singh State funeral with full military honours.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has urged PM Modi to conduct last rites of Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built.

The last rites are set to be performed at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi at 11:45 AM on Saturday.

-PTI

The last rites of former PM Manmohan Singh will be performed at the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi at 11:45 AM on Saturday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

Singh passed away at AIIMS on Thursday.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that the demise of former prime minister Manmohan Singh was a "deeply personal loss". "He was my friend, philosopher and guide. He was so gentle in his manner but so resolute in his deeply held convictions," Gandhi said in a statement released Friday. She further said that Singh's "commitment to social justice, secularism and democratic values was deep and unwavering".

"To spend any time with him, was to come away enlightened by his knowledge and sagacity, moved by his honesty and integrity, and awed by his genuine humility," Gandhi said, adding that Singh leaves a void in our national life that can never be filled. "We in the Congress Party, and the people of India will forever be proud and grateful that we had a leader like Dr Manmohan Singh whose contributions to India's progress and development are immeasurable," she said.

In a statement released on Friday, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that former prime minister Manmohan Singh brought brilliance and distinction to every high office that he held, adding that he brought pride and honour to India. "A luminous and beloved guiding light for the Congress party, his compassion and vision transformed and empowered the lives of millions of Indians," Gandhi said. " Respected and admired by leaders and scholars all over the world, he was hailed as a statesman of immense wisdom and stature," she added.

There will be no change of guard ceremony on Saturday owing to the national mourning following the demise of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement issued Friday. "The change of guard ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan will not take place tomorrow (December 28, 2024) due to national mourning," the statement read. The ceremony is a military tradition held on a Saturday every week to enable a fresh group of the President's Bodyguards to take charge.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh "ushered India into a new era, setting the stage for growth and prosperity", news agency PTI reported. "...From bringing bread and butter to the doorstep of the poorest through schemes like NREGA and the Food Security Act to securing the landmark nuclear deal, and AADHAR, his contributions have touched every Indian," Mufti said.

While speaking about the PDP-Congress talks about Jammu and Kashmir government formation in 2002, Mufti said that Singh played "a vital role in forming the alliance at that time".

"During his tenure of ten years, there was no communal riot anywhere. Today, there is no day when lynchings do not take place, mosques are being demolished, our shawl weavers are harassed outside," PTI quoted Mufti as saying.

The CM Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan government on Friday announced a seven-day state mourning till January 1 after the demise of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, news agency PTI reported. The Rajasthan government issued the order in compliance with the directions of the Union Home Ministry.

While recalling former prime minister Manmohan Singh as a leader of "unquestionable integrity", Left leaders on Friday said that he adopted policies that he believer were in the interest of the nation, news agency PTI reported.

"Dr. Manmohan Singh during his ten-year tenure as Prime Minister stood firmly for secular and democratic values. He adopted policies which he believed were in the interests of the country. He was a leader of unquestioned integrity," PTI quoted CPI(M) as saying. The party further conveyed its condolences to Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and his daughters.

The Congress approached the Centre Friday seeking a resting place for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died on Thursday, along the banks of the Yamuna river in Delhi, where many former PMs have their memorials.

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has conveyed the party’s desire to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Separately, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K C Venugopal followed it up with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday. Read Manoj C G's report here

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Friday condoled the passing of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, saying his contributions to Bharat will always be remembered.

"The entire nation is extremely saddened by the demise of former prime minister of Bharat and senior leader of the country Dr Sardar Manmohan Singh. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh expresses its deepest condolences to his family and countless loved ones and admirers," they said in a joint statement.

Singh, despite coming from a humble background, adorned the highest post in the country, the statement said.

Pakistan's former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri recalled fond memories of his association with the late Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who died in Delhi on Thursday night.

Kasuri said that Dr Singh will be remembered in history as a man who devoted himself to the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Kasuri, 83, who served as Pakistan's foreign minister from November 2002 to November 2007, credited Singh for the creation of a congenial atmosphere in the entire SAARC region.

He said it was best exemplified by Singh's statement that “he looked forward to the day when it would be possible to have breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul”.

Kasuri said he was lucky to be a part of a process in which unprecedented progress was made during the peace negotiations between the two countries.

He said people-to-people contacts were enhanced tremendously during Singh's tenure as prime minister resulting in the creation of mutual trust between the two governments.

Manmohan Singh preferred his modest Maruti Suzuki 800 over luxury BMWs even when holding the office of prime minister as it reaffirmed his connection with the middle class and commitment to work for the common man.

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge) Asim Arun, a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who worked as Singh's chief bodyguard for almost three years recalled them same.

Recalling his role as head of the SPG's Close Protection Team (CPT) for the prime minister, Arun said: "As the AIG CPT, my responsibility was to stay with the prime minister at all times, like his shadow. If only one bodyguard could stay with him, it had to be me." One anecdote Arun shared reflected Singh's simplicity -- his attachment to his personal car, a modest Maruti Suzuki 800.

Despite having a fleet of high-security vehicles, including a luxurious BMW, for official travel, Singh would often express his preference for the modest car.

Arun recalled Singh telling him, "Asim, I don't like travelling in this car (BMW). My car is the Maruti." He said he would explain to Singh the security requirements of the high-tech BMW but the former prime minister's gaze would always turn to the Maruti Suzuki 800 as his motorcade passed by it.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away aged 92 in the national capital on Thursday, had a brush with the justice system when he was summoned as an accused in a coal-block allocation case.

The Supreme Court, however, intervened and stayed the directive.

Singh, an astute economist and a stalwart politician, questioned the absence of the mandated sanction for prosecuting public officials like him, and denied any criminality in his decision concerning the coal block allocation.

His appeal in the top court challenged a trial court's March 2015 order that summoned him as an accused in the alleged irregularities over the allotment of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and other senior leaders gathered at the CPED ground in Belagavi to pay their last respects to former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Indian flag at half-mast at President House, after the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

Former PM Manmohan Singh's Department of Economics at Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Singh passed away on Thursday night.

Shankersinh Vaghela, the former Gujarat CM and a Union minister in the first Manmohan Singh Cabinet of 2004, described the late prime minister as "extremely humble".

"In the first Cabinet meeting, I suggested there should be transparency and right to information and I thank him for introducing the Right to Information Act in 2005. He gave transparency to the people. As an expert economist, he and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia (then deputy chairman of the Planning Commission) saved the country from the 2008 recession.

Vaghela quit the Congress in 2017, and has recently launched a new party.

Arjun Modhwadia, BJP MLA from Porbandar and a former Congress leader, described the former PM as a "father figure" to him and a "great human being who understood the pain of our country".

"As a person, he was like a father and guide to me", said Modhwadia.

Paying tribute to the former prime minister, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X, "India has lost a great man, and France a true friend, in the person of Dr. Manmohan Singh. He had devoted his life to his country. Our thoughts are with his family and the people of India."

Activist Anna Hazare, who led an agitation against Dr Manmohan Singh's government, said about the former prime minister, "Manmohan Singh always thought about the country. He had a big contribution in changing this country's economy. I was heading an agitation against corruption when he was the PM. I met him couple of times at his residence in Delhi and he was quick to take decisions. Today, Manmohan Singh has passed away, but his memories will always be alive."

Former PM Manmohan Singh's mortal remains will be taken to the AICC headquarters in Delhi at 8 am tomorrow, December 28, where public and Congress workers will be able to pay their final respects to the veteran politician.

Dr Singh's last rites will commence at 9:30 am tomorrow, when his mortal remains will be taken from the AICC HQ to the cremation ground.

In an official statement, the Union Cabinet condoled the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and paid homage to the veteran political leader by observing two minutes of silence.

The Cabinet said that state mourning will be observed for seven days till January 1, 2025, during which the National Flag will be flown half-mast throughout the country.

"Dr. Manmohan Singh will be accorded State Funeral. On the day of State Funeral, a half day holiday will be declared in all the Central Government offices and CPSUs," the statement said.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "On behalf of my party, I pay homage to former PM Manmohan Singh. It is a fact that he was a refugee of Partition and progressed in his life through hard work. I believe he was the first PM of India who worked to uplift the marginalised section of people, particularly the Muslims. The nation has certainly lost its special son."