The Congress on Saturday accused the Centre of insulting Dr Manmohan Singh, the country's first Sikh prime minister, by carrying out his last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated spot that could later become his memorial.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, accused the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi of 'indulging in politics' over Dr Singh's funeral and alleged that the party has 'insulted' its own leaders, including former PM P V Narasimha Rao, in the past.
BJP president J P Nadda said the Centre had allocated space for Dr Singh's memorial and informed his family about it as he accused the Congress of indulging in 'cheap politics' over the former prime minister's cremation.
The opposition party had written to the Centre for identifying a designated place for Singh's last rites, where a memorial could be set up for him.
As politics over the matter erupted, the Centre said a decision to set up a memorial has already been taken and a trust would be formed to identify the place soon.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the great son of Mother India and the first prime minister from the Sikh community has been 'totally insulted' by the BJP-led Centre by performing his last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday.
He said Singh was the prime minister for 10 years, the country became an economic superpower during his tenure and his policies are still the support system for the poor and backward classes.
'Till date, respecting the dignity of all former prime ministers, their last rites were performed at authorised burial sites so that every person could have a last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience.
'Dr Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,' Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said by not providing an appropriate place for the former prime minister's cremation, the Centre has not done justice to the dignity of the post, his personality, legacy and the self-respecting Sikh community.
She said earlier, all former prime ministers were given the highest honour and respect.
'Dr Manmohan Singh ji deserves this honour and a Samadhi Sthal. Today, the whole world is remembering his contributions. The government should have thought beyond politics and narrow-mindedness in this matter,' she said in a post in Hindi on X.
'This morning, I felt this when I saw Dr Manmohan Singhji's family members struggling for a place at the funeral site, trying to find a place in the crowd, and the general public getting troubled due to the lack of space and paying tributes from the road outside,' Priyanka Gandhi added.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also took to X to say that he attended Singh's funeral at the Nigambodh Ghat.
'It was difficult to see very much, beyond the backs of the heads of assorted dignitaries and close relatives of the departed soul, so it became more of an occasion to reflect on the life and legacy of the late great PM,' Tharoor said, adding that he found himself seated next to Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was a memorable companion during the proceedings.
'We shared a great regard for the late Prime Minister and agreed that a fitting memorial must be established by the government for Dr MMS without delay,' he said, while sharing pictures of the funeral.
Former Indian Youth Congress chief B V Srinivas said when former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on August 16, 2018, his funeral took place at the National Memorial, the designated place for the cremation of former presidents, vice-presidents and prime ministers.
He referred to Vajpayee's memorial, 'Sadbhav Atal', which is spread over seven acres and 'where memories related to Atalji are present', and shared pictures of the memorial on X.
'But during the tenure of the same prime minister, Narendra Modi, the last rites of former prime minister Manmohan Singh were performed at the public Nigambodh Ghat instead of the National Memorial. Because he was a Congress leader, not a BJP leader?' he asked in a post in Hindi on X.
After the matter of a memorial for Singh took a political colour, the Centre clarified that a decision to build one was already conveyed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by Union Home Minister Amit Shah after Friday's Cabinet meeting.
A government statement also said the funeral could be held as the process of setting up a trust and allotting land for the memorial could take a while.
Kharge had written to Modi on Friday seeking a memorial for Singh.
Several sections of the society have also urged the government to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of the country, on the late economist-prime minister.
Reacting sharply to Congress charges, Nadda said, "It's very unfortunate that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and incumbent Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are not refraining from playing politics even over the former prime minister's sad demise."
"No amount of condemnation is enough for such cheap thinking of the Congress. The Congress, which never gave real respect to Manmohan Singh when he was alive, is now playing politics in the name of his respect," he added.
The Union minister also said the government under Prime MInister Narendra Modi had allocated space for Singh's memorial and also informed his family about it.
"Yet, the Congress is spreading lies," he said.
"Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress leaders should refrain from indulging in such cheap politics," Nadda said.
BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra also attacked Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the grand old party had 'insulted' its leaders -- Rao, ex-president Pranab Mukherjee, first president Rajendra Prasad and former deputy PM Vallabhbhai Patel -- in the past.
"Since Manmohan Singh's death, the Centre has been preparing to construct a memorial for him. A cabinet meeting was called and a condolence message was issued. It was also decided to pay proper respects to the former PM befitting his stature.
"The cabinet has informed Dr Singh's family and the Congress that a memorial will be built so that everyone can remember his positive contribution. However, time is needed for land acquisition, forming a trust and other formalities. At the same time, cremation should be done as it cannot wait," Patra said at a press conference in Bhubaneswar.
The BJP leader alleged that Rahul Gandhi had himself disrespected Singh by publicly tearing down a Cabinet note.
Singh had considered resigning from the post as Sonia Gandhi was 'running a parallel government', he claimed.
He alleged that the Congress has a history of insulting prime ministers who were not from the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"Former prime minister Narasimha Rao's body was not allowed entry into the Congress headquarters in Delhi on instruction of Sonia Gandhi. The Congress did not allow Rao's last rites in the national capital, so it was performed in Hyderabad. Some media outlets also reported that some stray dogs were moving around the body of the late prime minister. Such was the audacity of the Congress," Patra alleged.
The BJP leader alleged that the Congress did so to protect the Nehru-Gandhi family's legacy.
Rao was the first non-Gandhi Congress PM who completed a full five-year term but still the party did not construct a memorial for him despite being in power, he said.
"When the BJP came to power, it built a memorial for Rao and also conferred Bharat Ratna on him. The Gandhi family gave Bharat Ratna only to its members," Patra said.
Patra also mentioned the Congress's alleged injustice to former president Pranab Mukherjee.
"Mukherjee's daughter Sarmistha has alleged that the Congress had done injustice to her father by not condoling his death. The party said it does not condole the death of any former CWC president. However, that is not the reality... it was done to diminish his legacy," Patra alleged.
Patra alleged that when Vallabhbhai Patel died on December 15, 1950, the then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had written a letter to all ministers and senior officers asking them not to attend Patel's funeral.
Nehru also neglected first president Rajendra Prasad on his death on Feb 28, 1963, he said.
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee died, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge remarked that the former prime minister was a heavy drinker, Patra said.
"Now Rahul Gandhi, full of his immaturity, has yet again taken this to a new low by making the tweet. This shows the character of the Congress and the Gandhi family," he alleged.
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