NEW DELHI: The BJP on Sunday doubled down on its claim that the Congress is politicizing former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s death, with the saffron party’s spokesperson offering a point-by-point rebuttal to the allegations made by the Congress.
After the nation bid farewell to Manmohan Singh on Saturday, a political fight broke out between the BJP and Congress over the latter’s demand that Singh be cremated at a site that could become his memorial. While the Congress alleged “disrespect and grave insult” to Singh by the BJP, the ruling party accused the Congress of playing “cheap politics” at the former prime minister’s funeral.
Taking advantage of BJP chief JP Nadda’s attack on the Congress, Amit Malviya on Sunday said: “It is a shame that the Congress continues to politicize the death of the former prime minister.” In a detailed post, the BJP spokesperson addressed the allegations made by his Congress counterpart.
On the Congress’ claim that media coverage of the funeral focused on Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, with no coverage apart from Doordarshan (DD), Malviya said: “The defense ministry has no role in coverage of state functions. In the past, only the DD has covered such events. Entry restrictions were imposed by security agencies. National functions are traditionally covered only by the DD.
Responding to allegations that only three chairs were provided to Singh’s family, Malviya sought to clarify that this was part of the State protocol.
“The CPWD arranged the seating at the funeral venue in consultation with the Delhi Police. The number of seats in the front row was maximized based on the space available. Five seats were allotted to the family members in the front row, occupied by Mrs. Manmohan Singh and her three daughters.”
He added: “The remaining 20 seats were reserved for constitutional authorities who were to lay wreaths. These included the President of India, the King of Bhutan, the Vice President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, leaders of the opposition and the heads of service”. No other person was assigned a front row seat. In the following rows, additional seats were provided for family members.
Referring to the Congress allegation that Prime Minister Modi and other ministers did not rise when the national flag was handed over to the late PM’s widow, Malviya said: “The state funeral was conducted with full military honours, following the protocol. There was no deviation in the process.”
Regarding claims that relatives were given inadequate space around the pyre due to soldiers occupying one side, Malviya said: “The location for the funeral was designated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ceremonial staff were the only officials present near the pyre. Ample space was available for relatives and priests.”
On the allegation that the public was kept out of the venue, he responded by saying: “Security agencies imposed restrictions on public access for general security reasons. The venue was at full capacity.”
The Congress also alleged that Amit Shah’s motorcade disrupted the funeral procession, forcing the family cars to be left outside and his relatives to be relocated. Malviya dismissed this and said, “The traffic police led the funeral procession. The details of the family cars were collected in advance and the security unit issued them parking passes. There was no disruption in the procession.”
The BJP spokesperson further accused the Congress of “exploiting the death of Dr Manmohan Singh” and urged the party to refrain from politicizing the event.
The controversy began on Saturday when the Center announced that Singh’s last rites would be performed at Nigambodh Ghat, despite the Congress requesting an exclusive location for a future memorial. The Center clarified in a statement that a trust would be established and space allocated for a memorial, but the funeral would take place at the crematorium. However, since then, bigwigs from both sides have taken aim at each other.