The central government has offered a plot in the Rajghat complex for a memorial dedicated to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away in December 2024.
According to government sources, the proposed site is located next to the memorial of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who served alongside Singh as India’s finance minister and later as the country’s head of state.
The allocation of land is contingent upon the formation of a trust by Manmohan Singh’s family, sources said. Once the trust is established, the government will proceed with the allotment and provide ₹25 lakh to fund the construction of the memorial.
Singh, who was India’s Finance Minister in 1991, played a pivotal role in economic reforms that opened India's markets to the world. He later served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, shaping the country’s economic policies and governance.
Following Singh’s passing on December 26, 2024, the Congress party criticised the government for allegedly delaying the allocation of land for his memorial. The BJP countered, pointing out that Congress had never built a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, under whose leadership India’s liberalisation reforms were initiated.
The controversy gained traction after the government last month approved land for Pranab Mukherjee’s memorial in Rashtriya Samiti, within the Rajghat precinct. Mukherjee’s daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this gesture.
"Called on Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi ji to express thanks and gratitude from the core of my heart for his government's decision to create a memorial for baba. It’s even more cherished considering that we didn’t ask for it. Immensely touched by this unexpected but truly gracious gesture by PM," Sharmistha Mukherjee shared in an online post.
She also took a swipe at the Congress, pointing out that the party had not even held a formal condolence meeting for her father after his passing in 2020.