Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was cremated with full State honours at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat on December 28, as the nation bid an emotional farewell to the stalwart Congress leader who was fondly known as the ‘Architect of India’s economic reforms’.
Earlier, amid poignant slogans of Manmohan Singh Ji Amar Rahe and Jab Tak Suraj Chand Rahega, Manmohan Singh Ka Naam Rahega, the mortal remains of Dr Singh were transported from the Congress headquarters to the cremation ground in a flower-adorned Army vehicle.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, along with Dr Singh’s family members, was present in the vehicle, reflecting his respect and admiration for the late leader.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and J.P. Nadda, and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, were present at Nigam Bodh Ghat to pay their last respects to the economic wizard.
Foreign dignitaries, including Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful, also attended the solemn ceremony. The former Prime Minister received a final salute from the armed forces and the customary 21 gun salute in his honour.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, along with the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, also paid tribute to the leader who guided India through transformative times. Earlier in the day, the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force officers brought Dr Singh’s mortal remains to the Congress headquarters, where family members and senior Congress leaders gathered for a heartfelt homage.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge draped the Congress flag over Dr. Singh’s body, marking a solemn moment of tribute.
Gursharan Kaur, Dr Singh’s wife, led the family in paying their respects. Other prominent Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, D.K. Shivakumar, Ashok Gehlot, K.C. Venugopal, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister S Sukhu, and Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy, were also present to honour the late leader.
