D Raja Pays tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh, calls him a statesman

New Delhi [India], December 28 (ANI): CPI General Secretary D Raja expressed respect and admiration for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday. He described Dr. Singh as “one of the great statesmen and economists” of the country, whose contributions have left an indelible mark on India’s political and economic landscape.

Speaking to ANI, D Raja said, “He was one of the great statesmen and economists… He brought the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Right to Information. He had great decency, civility, and fairness… He stood firm in upholding the values of secularism and democracy, and he was committed to the Constitution of our country.”

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked the central government for performing the last rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Nigambodh Ghat and said that the former Finance Minister deserves the “highest respect and a memorial.”

“The great son of India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X.

He further said that he was the Prime Minister of India for a decade, during his tenure the country became an “economic superpower” and his policies still support the poor and backward classes of the country.

“Till date, respecting the dignity of all former Prime Ministers, their last rites were performed at authorized burial sites so that every person could have the last darshan and pay homage without any inconvenience. Dr. Manmohan Singh deserves our highest respect and a memorial. The government should have shown respect to this great son of the country and his proud community,” he added.

Congress had demanded a funeral in a place where a memorial to Singh could be built. However, the Centre said land for a memorial would be earmarked in the next few days. But it would not be the place where the funeral took place. The Congress called it a “deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India.”