The nation on Saturday bade farewell to Manmohan Singh with a state funeral, which was partly clouded by a slugfest between the BJP and the Congress over the government “disrespecting” the late Prime Minister by organising his last rites at a public crematorium.

Singh, who died on Thursday aged 92, was cremated with full state honours on a rain-drenched morning in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, foreign dignitaries, the Congress leadership and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi.

Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the foreign minister of Mauritius, Ritish Ramful, had travelled to New Delhi to attend the funeral. The Prime Minister of Mauritius ordered the country’s flag to be flown at half-mast on all government buildings till sunset on Saturday.

However, the Congress slammed the Modi government for failing to hold the cremation at a separate place that could have been turned into a memorial, an honour accorded to Singh’s BJP predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and many earlier Prime Ministers.

The BJP hit back by accusing the Congress of having “disrespected” and undermined Singh during his tenure as Prime Minister by allegedly forcing him to play second fiddle to Sonia Gandhi.

Late in the evening, the Congress alleged “mismanagement” of the funeral, complaining of inadequate sitting arrangements for Singh’s family and excessive focus by the public broadcaster on Modi and home minister Amit Shah, among other grouses.

Singh’s family have maintained a stoic silence amid the verbal battle of the past 24 hours over his cremation, remaining true to the quiet dignity with which the former Prime Minister lived his life.

Early in the morning, Singh’s mortal remains were taken in a military cortégé from his residence on Motilal Nehru Marg to the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road, where party workers and leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and his predecessor Sonia, paid their respects.

The Gandhi siblings, Rahul and Priyanka, oversaw the arrangements.

From 24 Akbar Road, the cortégé moved to the Nigambodh Ghat with Congress workers running alongside, occasionally chanting “Manmohan Singh amar rahein”. Demands for honouring Singh with the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, were raised during the procession.

Rahul, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, travelled in the military convoy that escorted Singh’s body to the cremation ground on the Yamuna’s banks. Rahul was among those who later carried the body to the pyre.

At the Nigambodh Ghat, the flower-decked casket was placed on a raised platform for leaders and people to pay their last respects. The body was then handed back to the family for the last rites to be performed according to Sikh traditions.

Singh’s funeral pyre was lit by his eldest daughter, Upinder Singh. The former Prime Minister’s wife Gursharan Kaur and two other daughters — Daman Singh and Amrit Singh — were present along with other relatives.

Priests and family members recited religious hymns from the holy Gurbani, and there were chants of “Satnam waheguru”.

The security forces gave a salute with three volleys from small arms and the buglers sounded The Last Post.

Additional reporting by PTI