NEW DELHI: In life, he always seemed, rather charmingly, a little out of place when surrounded by the trappings of high office. So some may have found it slightly ironic that the final journey of Manmohan Singh, who had once told his security officer that he preferred a Maruti hatchback to a sleek BMW, was choreographed to the ceremonial demands of a state funeral. But state funerals are mandatory for former prime ministers.
But even former prime ministers are a matter of politics. The state funeral took place as the Congress and the BJP were still locked in a bad-tempered debate over a memorial site. Singh, whose baptism into politics was quite harsh and became even tougher during his second term as Prime Minister, probably would not have been too surprised by this, if he had had an idea.
Under a gray sky on a winter morning, the procession left the AICC office towards the cremation site, carrying a heavy bandobasto all the way. As it was a state funeral, the armed forces had a role to play. There was a military band and ceremonial marches. The CDS and the three service chiefs were present.
At the AICC office, where it all began on Saturday, Congress members gathered to bid farewell to one of the party’s most senior prime ministers. Family members of Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur and daughters Upinder, Daman and Amrit were received by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present along with party leaders, leaders and workers.
The procession left for Delhi’s oldest and largest crematorium, Nigambodh Ghat.after the singing of the national anthem at the AICC headquarters. The pace was, as it always is on such occasions, majestic, considering the mourners walking alongside. There was a profusion of flowers. Some mourners remained silent, others spoke respectfully. The latter joined in the chanting of two frequently heard commemorative slogans reserved for deceased notable politicians: “Amar rahe” and “Jab tak suraj, chand rahega, tab tak tera naam rahega”. The Congress was front and center in Nigambodh, as expected.
All dignified, but no BJP-Cong interaction at cremation site
Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, party chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Revanth Reddy and Sukhwinder Sukhu and other senior officials were at the gate of Nigambodh Ghat when the coffin, draped with the tricolour, was taken away. Once the casket was placed, the laying of wreaths began. on a raised platform.
The long list of dignitaries present included, apart from Singh’s family members, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, the three Gandhis, Rajnath Singh, other members of the NDA government, LS and RS presidents, Congress functionaries, CM and LG of Delhi, and chiefs of the armed forces. Foreign countries were represented by the king of Bhutan and a minister from Mauritius.
There was no notable interaction between BJP and Congress functionaries. But obviously, unlike X, where another fight between the parties took place on Saturday morning, everything was dignified.
The last rites began with the Sikh priests reciting Gurbani verses. Singh’s daughter, historian Upinder Singh, lit the pyre, along with other family members.
Not long after, the state funeral ended. But politics, of course, was not. A slogan raised among the crowd – ‘MMS ko Bharat Ratna do’ – was a reminder, if anyone needed reminding.