Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati have urged the central government to avoid any political controversy over the funeral and memorial of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
The architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, Singh died at AIIMS, Delhi, late on Thursday. He was 92. His last rites will take place with full state honours at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi at 11.45 am.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have Singh's funeral at a place where his memorial can be built.
In a post on X on Friday night, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said, "The tradition of honouring the country's former prime ministers must be upheld. There is no need for politics on this issue nor should there be any.
"Dr. Manmohan Singh's memorial should be constructed at Rajghat. The BJP should refrain from presenting an inappropriate example of its narrow-minded