India bids farewell to Manmohan Singh, last rites conducted with state honours

India: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s last rites were conducted with full state honours at Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday morning after top leaders from across party lines flocked to pay their last respects to the architect of India’s economic liberalisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the tributes, followed by top BJP leaders like Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda. President Droupadi Murmu and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge offered floral wreaths. Foreign dignitaries like the King of Bhutan Jigme Wangchuk and the foreign minister of Mauritius were also present.

Earlier in the day, Singh’s final journey began from the Congress headquarters, where party leaders gathered to pay tribute. A flower-adorned vehicle carried the two-time PM’s body in a solemn procession as supporters chanted “Manmohan Singh amar rahe (Manmohan Singh lives forever)”.

Hundreds of Congress workers, leaders, and supporters walked alongside the procession as it wended through the national capital. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accompanied Singh’s family on the way.

Meanwhile, the Centre agreed to allocate space for a memorial of the former Prime Minister after a war of words broke out between the BJP and the Congress. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge had written to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, requesting that Singh’s last rites be performed at a place where a memorial could be built for him.