Seating arrangement at Manmohan Singh’s funeral brings political divide to the fore | India News

NEW DELHI: The seating arrangement at the Nigambodh Ghat state funeral for Manmohan Singh saw government leaders and the Congress camp occupy two separate sides of the row.
While the visible division could be on account of State protocol, it reflected the cold vibes between Congress and BJP which became intense on the eve of the funeral over Congress’s demand that Singh be cremated at the site that can be developed into his memorial.
The official side had ministers led by Prime Minister Modi, including the defence and home ministers, bureaucrats, service chiefs, among others, while the Congress camp had party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, besides members of the Singh family.
Interestingly, in between the two sides sat President Droupadi Murmu, Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.