India to bid goodbye to Manmohan Singh today, funeral march from Congress HQ

The funeral procession of Manmohan Singh is scheduled to commence at 9.30 am from the Congress headquarters, with the last rites expected to take place at 11.45 am. The Congress has urged the government to allocate a memorial site for the two-time Prime Minister.

The last rites of Manmohan Singh, two-time Prime Minister and the architect of economic liberalisation, will be held in Delhi on Saturday with full state honours. His final journey will commence from the Congress headquarters at 9.30 am.

Scores of leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, chief ministers, and foreign leaders, paid homage to Singh at his residence in New Delhi on Friday.

The Congress requested the Centre to allocate a separate resting place for the veteran leader. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, requesting that Singh’s last rites be performed at a place where a memorial can be built for him. The government agreed to allocate space for a memorial, suggesting that funeral formalities can be completed in the interim.

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Manmohan Singh’s body will be taken to the Congress headquarters at 8 am on Saturday, and the public and Congress workers will have the opportunity to pay their tributes before the procession begins at 9.30 am. His funeral is expected to be held at Nigambodh Ghat crematorium at 11.45 am, according to sources.
Immediately after the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Home Minister Amit Shah communicated to Mallikarjun Kharge and the family of late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Government would allocate space for the memorial, according to a statement. It further said that cremation and other formalities could happen because a trust had to be formed and space had to be allocated to it.
Authorities have issued a traffic advisory in view of the former Prime Minister’s state funeral. Diversions are set at Raja Ram Kohli Marg, Rajghat Red Light, Signature Bridge, and Yudhister Setu, with heavy traffic expected in these areas.

Restrictions will be in place on roads including the Ring Road (Mahatma Gandhi Marg), Nishad Raj Marg, Boulevard Road, SPM Marg, Lothian Road, and Netaji Subhash Marg from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Centre has declared a seven-day national mourning period until January 1, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the country. The national flag will also be flown at half-mast at all Indian missions and high commissions. A half-day holiday will also be declared in all central government offices and Central Public Sector Undertakings on Saturday.

Besides the central government, several states, including Haryana, Punjab, Manipur, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Assam, have declared official mourning to honour the former Prime Minister.
Earlier on Friday, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condoled the death of Singh and described him as an eminent statesman and a distinguished leader who left an imprint on national life.

“Dr Manmohan Singh has left his imprint on our national life. In his passing away, the nation has lost an eminent statesman, renowned economist and a distinguished leader,” a resolution passed by the cabinet read.
In a video message, PM Modi recalled Manmohan Singh’s journey and said that his life will always serve as a lesson for future generations on how someone can rise above deprivation and struggle to attain the heights of success.

“Manmohan Singh’s contribution to the development of India will always be remembered,” PM Modi said. “Manmohan Singh’s life was a reflection of his honesty and simplicity. He was a distinguished parliamentarian. His life will always be a lesson on how a person can attain success by rising above deprivation, and struggle.”
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) mourned the loss of a “true statesman” whose life and work have profoundly shaped the destiny of India.

“Dr Singh was a towering figure in India’s political and economic landscape, whose contributions transformed the country and earned him respect worldwide. As Finance Minister in the early 1990s, D Singh was the architect of India’s economic liberalisation,” the CWC resolution stated.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, along with BJP President JP Nadda, also paid tribute to Singh.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav offered their final respects to the former Prime Minister.
Several foreign dignitaries, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, also extended their condolences, recalling their diplomatic engagements with Singh.
Manmohan Singh, a two-time Prime Minister from 2004, and a distinguished economist, was the mastermind behind India’s economic liberalisation. He steered the country through an impending crisis in 1991 when he served as the Finance Minister. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by substantial economic growth, social welfare programs, and efforts to enhance India’s infrastructure.