By Nidhi Verma
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The body of Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister whose death has sparked great grief at home and praise abroad, was cremated on Sunday on the banks of the Yamuna River in New Delhi with full state honours.
The funeral was carried out according to Sikh tradition as priests sang hymns, after Singh’s body, draped in the Indian flag, was transported around the capital in a flower-decked chariot pulled by an army ceremonial truck.
The flag was removed and the body was covered with a saffron cloth before being placed on the pyre.
Since Singh died Thursday at age 92, many have taken up his comment toward the end of his 10-year tenure that “history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media.”
He was referring to a perception of weak leadership while he headed a coalition government that faced numerous corruption allegations and was ousted in the 2014 election, won by his successor Narendra Modi.
Modi, who called Singh one of the nation’s “most distinguished leaders” after his death, attended the funeral, along with President Droupadi Murmu and representatives of several countries. The Modi government has decided to allocate land for Singh’s memorial.
Singh, considered the architect of India’s economic liberalization, had criticized Modi’s economic policies such as demonetisation and the introduction of a goods and services tax.
Singh is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accompanied Singh’s family in the truck to the Nigambodh Ghat cremation site after the procession from the party headquarters in New Delhi, where people joined Party leaders and members. of Congress to pay his last respects.
Leaders from the United States, Canada, France, Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan were among those who expressed grief over Singh’s death and highlighted his international contributions. (This story has been restated to read “spark,” not “spark,” in paragraph 1)