New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s memorial could be built in the Rajghat complex next to former president Pranab Mukherjee’s following a land offer from the Centre to Mr Singh’s family.
Pranab Mukherjee was the President of India during Manmohan Singh’s tenure in the Congress-led UPA government. Mr Singh passed away on the evening of December 26 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. He was 92.
The government is awaiting the formation of a trust by the family, after which land will be allocated for the memorial, the reports said. It has also been reported that the Modi government will provide Rs 25 lakh to the trust for its construction.
Manmohan Singh left a significant mark on India’s economic landscape. As the finance minister in 1991, he brought in transformative reforms that opened the Indian economy to the world. He later served as prime minister from 2004 to 2014.
Following his passing on December 26 last year, the Congress criticised the government for failing to find a suitable location for his memorial. In response, the BJP reminded Congress that it had never built a memorial for PV Narasimha Rao.
Amid the ongoing debate, the government last month allocated land for a memorial honouring Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away in 2020. A plot has been designated within the ‘Rashtriya Samiti’ complex at the Rajghat precinct in Delhi, Mukherjee’s daughter confirmed in January.
“Called on Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi ji to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for his government’s decision to create a memorial for Baba. It is even more special as we never requested it. Deeply touched by this unexpected yet truly gracious gesture by the PM,” Sharmistha Mukherjee wrote in an online post.
She also criticised the Congress for demanding a memorial for Mr Singh, pointing out that they had not even held a condolence meeting for her father.
