Hyderabad:

Following the Telangana Assembly’s passing of a resolution seeking the Bharat Ratna for late former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao urged the state government to persuade the Central government to establish a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in the national capital.

Mr Rao said, “Dr Manmohan Singh was a great economist and is respected across party lines. Our party supported the resolution passed in the Assembly today. We also appreciate the government’s move to install a statue of Dr Singh here. However, we remind the Congress government in Telangana that the only Prime Minister who served India honourably and brought in significant reforms was PV Narasimha Rao. Unfortunately, he is the only late Prime Minister who does not have a memorial in the national capital. We have demanded that the state government also pass a resolution in the Assembly to honour PV Narasimha Rao and urge the Union government to set up a memorial for him.”

He alleged that the state government was avoiding discussions about PV Narasimha Rao due to political compulsions. Rao said, “He is a son of the soil, from Telangana. We hope the Union government will take notice of this demand and set up a memorial, along with what they are doing for former PM Manmohan Singh.”

Earlier, BRS MLC K Kavitha on Monday slammed Congress for “disrespecting” former PM PV Narasimha Rao by not conducting his last rites in Delhi.

“It is a well-known fact that the Congress government has ignored PV Narasimha Rao and disrespected him. They did not conduct his last rites in Delhi. In Telangana, we have respected him. We celebrated his birth centenary. We built a huge memorial here in Hyderabad. However, as a former Prime Minister, I believe PV Narasimha Rao should have his memorial (in Delhi),” Kavitha told ANI.
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A war of words has broken out between political parties over the cremation of Manmohan Singh at Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat with Congress leaders criticising the central government for allegedly disrespecting Dr Singh by performing his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat instead of Rajghat.

The Congress claimed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to hold the ceremony at Rajghat, but they refused, showing “narrow-mindedness” and “hatred” towards the former PM.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday accused the Congress party of “creating” a controversy over the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and building a memorial for him. He highlighted that former PM Narasimha Rao’s body wasn’t even brought to the AICC headquarters.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Virat Kohli, wearing a black armband, walks out before the start of play on the second day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, on Friday (December 27, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

The Indian cricket team sported black armbands on the second day of the fourth Test against Australia to honour former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died in New Delhi.

Mr. Singh, a two time former Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday (December 26, 2024) after losing consciousness at his home owing to age-related ailments. He was 92.

Also read: Politicians, allies pay tributes to Manmohan Singh LIVE

“The Indian team is wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect in the memory of former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Dr. Singh, also a renowned economist, was the architect and the brainchild of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy and ushered in an era of economic liberalisation that is widely believed to have changed the course of India’s economic trajectory.

Australia resumed day two at 311 for 6 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Today, India mourns the loss of its former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. According to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where he was admitted, Dr. Singh had a sudden loss of consciousness at home on December 26, 2024.

Dr. Singh is survived by his wife, Gurcharan Singh, and their three daughters. His legacy, however, extends far beyond his family. As a renowned economist and statesman, Dr. Singh played a pivotal role in shaping India’s economic transformation. His tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 was marked by significant economic reforms, which lifted millions of people out of poverty.

Former US President Barack Obama, in his memoir “A Promised Land,” paid tribute to Dr. Singh’s exceptional leadership, describing him as a “man with uncommon wisdom”. Obama praised Dr. Singh’s commitment to economic reform, his dedication to the well-being of the Indian people, and his unwavering integrity.

Mr Obama wrote that Dr. Singh, an eminent economist, had managed to lift millions of people from poverty and that the markings of his Sikh faith made him look “holy” in the eyes of the West. He further added that Dr Singh’s tenure as a Prime Minister proved that he was “wise, thoughtful, and scrupulously honest”.

Dr. Singh’s impact on India’s economic landscape is undeniable. He implemented policies that encouraged growth, reduced poverty, and increased access to education and healthcare. His government’s initiatives, such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act, have had a lasting impact on the country.

Despite facing criticism during his tenure, Dr. Singh remained optimistic about his legacy. In his last press conference as Prime Minister in January 2014, he expressed his faith in history’s judgment, saying, “I honestly believe that history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media, or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament”.

As India bids farewell to this visionary leader, we remember his remarkable contributions to the nation’s growth and development. Dr. Manmohan Singh’s legacy will continue to inspire future generations of leaders and policymakers, and his impact on India’s history will be remembered for years to come.