When Navjot Sidhu apologised to Manmohan Singh: ‘Sardar bhi ho, aur asardar bhi’

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday paid tribute to Manmohan Singh, saying the former prime minister’s name will mentioned in gold letters in Indian political history.

“A legendary Prime Minister, who is and will be a cult figure forever…. His legend will keep growing. For institutions never die, they keep inspiring generations,” Navjot Singh Sidhu wrote in a post on X.

“Whenever the history of character, ability and honesty will be written in Indian politics, your name will be written in golden letters on the first page. Neither there was anyone like you before you nor there will be anyone like you after you!” he added.

The cricketer-turned-politician also shared an old video of his address from the 84th Congress Plenary session in 2018, in which he had publicly apologised to Manmohan Singh for his past remarks on him.

Sidhu, who had joined the Congress from the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2017, called Manmohan Singh as both “a Sardar and also asardar (effective)”.

“I want to apologise to Sardar Manmohan Singh with my head hanging down… I want to say that Sardar Manmohan Singh, what your maun (silence) has done, the noise made by BJP could not do so,” he had said in his address.

Manmohan Singh’s death

Manmohan Singh died on December 26 at the age of 92 after battling age-related illness, triggering an outpouring of grief and tributes from the world over.

The government has announced a seven-day State mourning as a mark of respect to the former prime minister.

Singh’s body will be taken from his residence to the Congress’s Akbar Road headquarters at 8am on Saturday, where the public will be allowed to pay their condolences.

At 9.30am, a funeral procession will proceed to Nigambodh Ghat. There, he will be laid to rest with full State honours at 11.45am.

The Union home ministry on Friday night announced the government will allocate space for a memorial of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.