• On December 26, 2024, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away. In line with the traditions for state funerals, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced seven days of state mourning and a state funeral for the former PM.
  • He was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat in central Delhi, marking the first time that a former PM had been cremated at this public cremation ground.
  • This sparked a controversy, with the Congress party accusing the government of an "insult" for not allocating a separate, designated place for the funeral and demanding a memorial at the cremation site.

IS THERE A RULE REGARDING MEMORIALS?

  • While there are established guidelines for state funerals, no specific rule or government order exists regarding the allocation of space for memorials for former Prime Ministers (PMs).
  • According to constitutional expert P.D.T. Achary, there is no set rule for memorials.
  • He highlighted that the convention had been that former PMs were cremated at designated locations, but Manmohan Singh’s cremation at Nigambodh Ghat marked a departure from this tradition.
  • While India upholds the principle that all citizens are equal before the law, Achary pointed out that former PMs, especially someone like Manmohan Singh, who was respected both nationally and globally, deserved a special place for their last rites.
THE TREND OF MEMORIALS Apart from Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who did not have a memorial, all other former PMs have had memorials dedicated to them, most of which are located in Delhi, with a few in other parts of the country. Here are some notable examples:
  • Jawaharlal Nehru’s memorial is known as Shanti Vana.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri’s memorial is called Vijay Ghat.
  • Charan Singh’s memorial is called Kisan Ghat.
  • Indira Gandhi’s memorial is at Shakti Sthal.
  • Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial is known as Vir Bhumi.
Additionally, in 2015, a memorial for P. V. Narasimha Rao was established at Ekta Sthal in Delhi, 10 years after his death in 2004. In 2013, the Congress government decided that all future memorials would be built at Smriti Sthal due to a shortage of space in Delhi. WHO MAINTAINS THE MEMORIALS? The responsibility for the maintenance of memorials varies:
  • According to a 2012 reply by the Culture Ministry in the Lok Sabha, local state governments and municipalities are primarily responsible for maintaining the memorials of various personalities.
  • However, the Central Government, specifically the Ministry of Urban Development, oversees the upkeep of certain prominent memorials. These include:
    • Rajghat (New Delhi).
    • Morarji Desai’s Samadhi at Abhay Ghat (Ahmedabad).
    • Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

DEMAND OF CONGRESS

  • On December 27, 2024, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that the Union Government identify a designated place for the funeral rites of Manmohan Singh and that a memorial be constructed at the site.
  • Despite this request, the cremation took place at Nigambodh Ghat on December 28, which was a public cremation ground.
Following the public outcry, the MHA released a press statement on December 27 at 11:45 pm, stating that:
  • The government had received the request for the allocation of space for a memorial.
  • After the Cabinet meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed to Kharge and Singh's family that the government would allocate space for the memorial.
  • The government also stated that a Trust needed to be formed, and only after that could space be allocated for the memorial.
As of December 30, 2024, the memorial for Manmohan Singh had not yet been announced. COMPARISON WITH ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE’S MEMORIAL In contrast to the ongoing discussions about Manmohan Singh’s memorial, the memorial for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on August 16, 2018, was quickly addressed:
  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cremated at Smriti Sthal, which is also the place designated for the memorials of other prominent leaders.
  • A memorial for Vajpayee was constructed at Smriti Sthal within 45 days of his passing.
  • The memorial cost ₹10.51 crore, which was fully funded by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society, a trust set up for the purpose.
CONCLUSION Currently, there is no mandate or rule regarding the creation of memorials for former Prime Ministers, and each case has been handled on an individual basis. While there have been traditions followed in the past, the cremation of Manmohan Singh at Nigambodh Ghat has sparked debate, with the Congress party demanding a dedicated memorial at the site. The MHA has confirmed that the government will allocate space for the memorial, but details remain to be finalized.