Congress alleges Assam govt violated mourning protocol for Manmohan Singh

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 29, 2024

Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has accused the Assam government of violating the official state mourning declared in honour of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by organizing state functions during his funeral on Saturday.

I a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Saikia highlighted that despite a seven-day state mourning (December 26 to January 1) being announced, the government continued with official events and public programmes. Assam Governor Laxman Prasad Acharya reviewed development schemes in Tezpur, while senior ministers, including Ranjeet Kumar Dass, distributed ration cards during the mourning period.

The Congress leader emphasized that the Assam government’s actions contradicted the Union Cabinet’s decision, which mandated no state functions during the mourning period.

Saikia reminded that Dr. Manmohan Singh, a former Prime Minister of India, had represented Assam in the Rajya Sabha for over 28 years (1991-2019). The lack of respect for his legacy and contribution to Assam was termed as an affront to his memory.

States like Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh were cited as examples where official events were cancelled during the mourning period, showcasing respect for the former Prime Minister.

Saikia criticized the Assam government for treating the day of Singh’s funeral as “business as usual.”

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Saikia urged him to ensure that Assam pays proper homage to Dr. Manmohan Singh’s legacy and adheres to mourning protocols.

He expressed the sentiment that the actions of the Assam government have deeply hurt public sentiments in Assam.

“I pray to your conscience to treat this matter with utmost importance and see to it that the state does duly observe mourning and pays due homage to the legacy of Manmohan Singh. Several other states of the country like Jharkhand had cancelled its Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Maiyan Somman Yojana (JMMSY) on Saturday. Uttar Pradesh had cancelled the Prime Minister’s SVAMITVA scheme, yet with a heavy heart and profound grief I must state that the act of the Assam government was severely hurting to the memory of Manmohan Singh among the public in Assam.