Govt awating reply of MMS kin to memorial proposal, says Khattar

The government is still awaiting a response from the family of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding its proposal to establish a memorial in his name.Speaking to The Tribune on Friday, Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the Secretary of Urban Development had met Singh’s family in early January to communicate the government’s decision to allocate a site for the proposed memorial.

“We are ready with everything. The family has yet to get back to us with their plan. According to the rules for memorials, the family must apply through a registered trust, which would then be allocated the designated land for construction. We are waiting for their response,” Khattar said.

Dr Singh’s daughter, Daman Singh, had earlier told The Tribune that the family needed more time to determine how to create a meaningful memorial for the late leader.

In January, the government earmarked a site at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal for Dr Singh’s memorial and initiated discussions with his family. Daman Singh had acknowledged that while the family had been informed about the site, they were still seeking clarity from the Centre on the specific terms and conditions of the proposal.

However, Khattar asserted that all necessary clarifications had been provided and that the ministry was awaiting the family’s decision.

The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where the government has proposed Dr Singh’s memorial, is located within the Samadhis Complex near Ekta Sthal in New Delhi. This site was developed to serve as a dedicated space for performing the last rites of national leaders, including Presidents, Vice-Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Late Prime Ministers IK Gujral and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were cremated here, and their memorials were established at the site. However, Dr Singh’s last rites were conducted at Nigam Bodh Ghat, breaking from the tradition, a decision that was widely criticised by the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral.

Dr Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, last year. On January 2, Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Katikithala Srinivas met with Singh’s family to discuss the government’s recommendations for a suitable memorial site.

Meanwhile, a memorial for former President Pranab Mukherjee was also approved in January and will be located at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal was developed following a May 2013 Cabinet decision under the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government. The decision was based on a 2000 Cabinet resolution, which stated that no separate memorials would be developed for national leaders due to land constraints at the Samadhis Complex. Instead, the Smriti Sthal would provide space for conducting last rites and commemorating national leaders in a unified manner.