Why Congress leaders didn't attend Manmohan's ashes immersion
What's the story
The Congress party has hit back at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for criticizing its top leaders for not being present during the immersion of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ashes. Congress leader Pawan Khera said the decision was taken out of respect for Singh's family's privacy. "Senior Congress leaders did not accompany the family to gather and immerse the ashes of Manmohan Singh ji out of our deference to the privacy of the family," he said.
Family visit
Congress leaders visited Singh's family post-funeral: Khera
Khera added that senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had visited Singh's family after his funeral. The party decided to give privacy to the family during the immersion ceremony as they had not received it during the cremation. "After discussing with them, it was felt that since the family did not get any privacy at the time of the cremation...it would be appropriate to give them some privacy for the Phool Chunana and immersion of ashes," Khera added.
Ashes immersion
Singh's ashes immersed in Yamuna river
Singh's ashes were immersed in the Yamuna River near Majnu ka Tila Gurdwara by his wife Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters. The BJP had slammed the Congress for its absence during this ceremony. Amit Malviya, a BJP leader, expressed disappointment saying, "Very sad to see that not a single member of Congress or the Gandhi family showed up to collect the remains of Manmohan Singh ji."
Cremation controversy
Singh's cremation and memorial plans
Singh, who was India's PM from 2004-2014, died aged 92 due to age-related complications. He was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat with full state honors. Rahul Gandhi slammed this choice of place, terming it a "grave insult" and demanding a memorial site. The government announced a plan for a memorial but said cremation couldn't be delayed as procedural steps for space allocation were needed.