On Monday, Congress came down heavily on the BJP’s criticism over its leaders’ absence during the immersion of the ashes of the former PM Manmohan Singh in the Amuna River. The party added that it had to do so as a way of respecting the feelings of the family during mourning.
In order to clarify the issue, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had paid their condolences to the family of Singh thrice after the funeral. However, the party decided to decline to follow the family for ashes immersion because this was important to their privacy.
Khera explained that the cremations themselves have been a very communal activity, and the family has no peace bids them well. Relatives were unable to even get close to the pyre site because of the massive turn-up. In this regard, having consultation with them was thoughtfully effective in letting them have privacy in the ‘Phool Chunana’ ceremonial form and the ashes immersion,” he said in a statement. He also said that such ceremonies are most often disturbing for the families that are closest to the deceased.
The ashes were dispersed by the Nigambodh Ghat on Sunday morning by the close relatives of Singh. The corpses were then transported to the ‘Asth Ghat’ on the river side of Yamuna beside a gurdwara for the confrontation. Singh’s wife, Gursharan Kaur, and three daughters, Upinder Singh, Daman Singh, and Amrit Singh, were captured with their other relatives at the scene.
The Congress pointed out that it was conscious of leaving them and that the decision was taken with the consent of the family simply because it recognized the need to give the family the opportunity to mourn without undue pressure. Thus, while pulling out of the race, the party was trying to respect the day and the grief that is right now felt by the family of Singh.
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