NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday doubled down on its claim that the Congress is politicising the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with the saffron party’s spokesperson offering a point-by-point rebuttal to the allegations made by the Congress.
After the nation bade farewell to Manmohan Singh on Saturday, a political slugfest erupted between the BJP and Congress over the latter’s demand that Singh be cremated at a site that could be developed into his memorial. While Congress alleged “disrespect and a grave insult” to Singh by the BJP, the ruling party accused Congress of playing “cheap politics” over the former PM’s funeral.
Building on BJP chief JP Nadda’s attack of Congress, Amit Malviya on Sunday said, “It is a shame that Congress continues to politicize the former PM’s death.” In a detailed post, the BJP spokesperson addressed allegations made by his Congress counterpart.
On Congress’s claim that media coverage of the funeral was centered around Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah, with no coverage apart from Doordarshan (DD), Malviya claimed, “The MoD has no role in the coverage of state functions. In the past as well, only DD has covered such events. Restrictions on entry were imposed by security agencies. National functions are traditionally covered solely by DD.”
Responding to allegations that there were not enough chairs provided for Singh’s family, Malviya said everything was done in accordance with State protocol.
“Seating arrangements at the funeral site were made by the CPWD in consultation with Delhi Police. The number of seats in the front row was maximized based on the available space. Five seats were allocated to 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 Service Chiefs. No other person was allotted a front-row seat. Additional seating for family members was arranged in the subsequent rows.”
Addressing Congress’s accusation that the PM Modi and other ministers did not stand when the National Flag was handed to the late PM’s widow, Malviya said, “The state funeral was conducted with full military honors, following protocol. There was no deviation in the process.”
Regarding claims that family members were given inadequate space around the pyre due to soldiers occupying one side, Malviya said, “The site for the funeral was designated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ceremonial personnel were the only officials present near the pyre. Ample space was available for family members and priests.”
On the allegation that the public was kept out of the venue, he responded, saying, “Restrictions on public access were imposed by security agencies for overall safety. The venue was at full capacity.”
Congress also alleged that Amit Shah’s motorcade disrupted the funeral procession, forcing family cars to be left outside and family members to be relocated. Malviya dismissed this, saying, “The funeral procession was managed by the Traffic Police. Details of family cars were collected in advance, and passes were issued to them by the security unit for parking. No disruption in the procession occurred.”
The BJP spokesperson further accused Congress of “exploiting Dr. Manmohan Singh’s death” and urged the party to refrain from Politicising the event.
The controversy began on Saturday when the Centre announced that Singh’s last rites would be conducted at Nigambodh Ghat, despite Congress requesting a dedicated location for a future memorial. The Centre 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 big wigs from both camps have thrown barbs at each other.
