Prez, VP, PM, Sonia, Kharge visit residence
NEW DELHI, Dec 27:
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the distinguished guests who paid their respects to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his home here on Friday.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Numerous leaders from different parties, including Union ministers and Congress figures such as Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi, came to honor the former two-term Prime Minister who passed away on Thursday night.
Click here to watch video
President Murmu and Vice President Dhankhar arrived at Singh’s residence to pay their last respects and met his wife and other family members.
Prime Minister Modi, who laid a wreath, termed Singh’s demise as a significant loss to the nation, emphasizing that his dedication to the people and the nation’s progress would always be honored.
In a video message, Modi reflected on Singh’s journey after his family relocated to India post-Partition, highlighting that although he left many things behind, his many achievements since then were noteworthy.
Singh, the architect of India’s economic reforms and a skilled consensus maker in the complex realm of politics, passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, late Thursday at the age of 92.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Following Singh’s passing, the Union cabinet convened under PM Modi, expressing condolences and praising him as an eminent statesman and notable leader whose impact was felt nationwide.
During this meeting, the Cabinet observed a two-minute silence in tribute to Singh and passed a Condolence Resolution in his memory.
“Dr. Manmohan Singh has profoundly influenced our national landscape. With his passing, the Nation mourns the loss of an eminent statesman, celebrated economist, and distinguished leader,” the resolution stated.
The Government has declared a seven-day State mourning in honor of the former Prime Minister.
Draped in the Tricolour, Singh’s remains were taken to his home at 3, Motilal Nehru Road — the large bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi where he lived after stepping down as Prime Minister over ten years ago.
Numerous leaders paid their tributes to the former Prime Minister in the presence of his wife Gursharan Kaur and other family members.
Singh will be cremated on Saturday, with his final journey beginning from the AICC headquarters at 9:30 AM, as announced by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal.
The last rites for Manmohan Singh will take place at 11:45 AM on Saturday at the Nigambodh Ghat crematorium, according to the Union Home Ministry.
“The Government has resolved to accord Dr. Manmohan Singh a State funeral. The ceremony is scheduled for 11:45 AM on December 28, 2024, at Nigambodh Ghat, New Delhi,” the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) noted in a communication on Friday.
It indicated that the Ministry of Defence has been advised to prepare arrangements to conduct Singh’s State funeral with full military honors.
Modi emphasized that Singh’s life would always serve as an inspiration for future generations, demonstrating that one can overcome adversity and struggle to achieve success.
Recounting Singh’s varied roles in the Government, the Prime Minister remarked that Singh established a new economic direction for the country as Finance Minister under the leadership of P V Narasimha Rao.
“As Prime Minister, his contributions to the country’s growth and development will never be forgotten,” he added.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, along with BJP president J P Nadda, also extended their condolences to Singh.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy traveled to Delhi to pay their respects to the former Prime Minister.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also paid their respects to Singh.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale mourned his loss, stating that his contributions to Bharat would always be valued.
Born to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932, in Gah village of Punjab province (now in Pakistan), Singh completed his matriculation in 1948. His family migrated to Amritsar following Partition, after a brief stay in Haldwani.
He earned his intermediate and bachelor’s degrees in economics from Hindu College before moving to Panjab University’s Hoshiarpur campus for higher studies.
Singh’s academic pursuits took him from Punjab to the University of Cambridge in the UK, where he received a First Class Honours degree in Economics, followed by a DPhil in Economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University.
Singh’s half-brother Surjit Singh Kohli shared that the former Prime Minister held a deep affection for his grandmother, who raised him following his mother’s passing when he was very young.
After relocating to India, the Singh family initially resided in a small rented accommodation in Amritsar until Singh graduated.
A few years ago, Singh served as the chief guest at the convocation and alumni meet of Hindu College in Amritsar, interacting with the faculty as if he were an ordinary individual, reminiscing about old memories, according to retired Hindu College Professor Rajinder Loomba. (PTI)
