Uttar Pradesh Congress organises condolence meeting for Former PM Manmohan Singh in Lucknow

Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai said, "Today every worker of the Congress Party is paying tribute to Dr Manmohan Singh. The whole country will remember such a great personality, every child will remember him. He gave respect to every section of the society, labourers, farmers. He has empowered the farmers. The people of the entire country wants a proper location where his memorial can be built."

Earlier, Former Jharkhand Congress Chief Rajesh Thakur slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for not fulfilling the party's demand to cremate Singh at a location where a memorial could be built to honor his legacy.

"The person who gave a lot of things to the nation...he worked for the nation and the nation-building... He balanced the economy...Everyone can see who is doing politics...He should get the respect and by not giving him a space, they (BJP) showed their level of politics," the Congress leader said.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also weighed in, asking how the party would have felt if a memorial for former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not been built at Raj Ghat.

"When a person dies, all enmity vanishes with him... but politics is being played here. I ask a small question: if Atal Ji's last rites were to be performed and someone had said that the memorial would not be built at Raj Ghat, it would be built somewhere else, how would you feel? ... This issue is not of any party but of the country's history," Sidhu said.

Congress had demanded a funeral at a place where a memorial to Singh could be built.The Centre has said land for a memorial would be earmarked in the next few days.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suggesting that the cremation of Dr. Manmohan Singh, take place at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy. (ANI)