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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav on Saturday paid tribute to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying, that the country will never see a politician like him again.
Being asked about the demand of building a memorial for the late PM, the former Bihar Chief Minister said, "He should get it." "The country will never get a politician like Dr Manmohan Singh. I was a part of his Council of Ministers. I was very close to him," he added. Meanwhile, the preparations for the funeral march of Manmohan Singh, who passed awy onThursday night at AIIMS Delhi, are underway at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi's Kashmere Gate. The last rites of the former PM are to be performed today around 11:45 am. Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur and his daughter Daman Singh on Saturday paid their last respects to him at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the national capital. Several politicians including Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, Wayanad Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also paid last respect to Singh. Several people also gathered outside the residence of the former Prime Minister in Delhi to pay their last respects. Jasmeet, a resident of East Delhi, said that she has come with her husband Hatendra Pal to pay tributes to Manmohan Singh who she credits for making India famous, globally. Delhi Traffic Police had issued an advisory earlier, ahead of the funeral of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The traffic advisory outlines restrictions and diversions on major routes in New Delhi, urging the public to avoid certain roads and use public transport to help ease congestion. Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and requested to have the funeral of Dr Manmohan Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, according to a post by the Indian National Congress on X. "I am writing this in the context of the sad demise of Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India. Apropos our telephonic conversation this morning, wherein I requested to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for the memorial of the great son of India. This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge wrote in his letter. Kharge further said that a memorial would be a fitting tribute to a leader who rose from humble beginnings to become a statesman of immense stature. Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah communicated to Congress President Kharge and the family of Late Dr Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it. Dr Singh's political career spanned several decades, with notable positions including Finance Minister from 1991 to 1996, during which he spearheaded economic reforms that transformed India's economy. He served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014, succeeding Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His tenure is particularly remembered for his steady leadership during economic crises and his contributions to modernizing India's economy. After his second term, Dr Singh retired from public life, having led India through a period of unprecedented growth and international recognition. He was succeeded by Narendra Modi in 2014 after the Congress-led UPA lost the general elections. (ANI)
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