'Stop Dirty Politics': BJP Approves Manmohan Singh's Memorial, Attacks Congress

Hours before former prime minister Manmohan Singh will be laid to rest on Saturday, a row has ensued over a memorial for him, prompting the BJP to ask Congress to not play dirty politics in his name.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had on Friday spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about exploring the possibility of building a memorial to Manmohan Singh at the same site where the last rites would be held.

"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former prime ministers at the very place of their funerals," the Congress chief said.

In a press release issued later, the Centre said that Union Home minister Amit Shah had said that a place for Dr Singh's memorial will be allocated, while adding that the cremation and other formalities can go ahead in the mean time.

Quick to hit out at the BJP was also senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who said people are unable to understand why the Centre could not find a location for the memorial, calling it an insult of India's first Sikh prime minister.

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The BJP said the Congress should stop playing dirty politics on the death of Dr Singh. "Congress should recall how they treated former PM Narasimha Rao Ji after his death. The daughter of Shri Pranab Mukherjee also has tweeted how shabbily her father, a former President, was treated by the Congress," a party statement read.

Dr Singh was the prime minister from 2004 till 2014. He also headed the Reserve Bank Of India and served as the finance minister under prime minister PV Narasimha Rao. He died at AIIMS Delhi on Thursday at the age of 92.

The mortals remains of Dr Singh will be kept at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters for an hour from 8.30 am for the people and Congress workers to pay their obeisance. Singh's final journey will commence from the headquarters to the cremation ground at 9.30 am on Saturday, party general secretary K C Venugopal said. His last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11.45 am on Saturday with full state honours.