Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed condolences on behalf of India on the demise of Coretta Scott King, the widow of Rev Martin Luther King Junior, as thousands of Americans paid their last respects to the 'first lady of the civil rights movement.'
In a message addressed to Yolanda King, her eldest daughter, Dr Singh said, "If today civil rights are regarded as an inalienable value, credit for that should, in substantial measure, go to Coretta and her activities. We in India, knew and admired her as a comrade and partner of your father Dr Martin Luther King, and more recently, as a powerful voice who carried his message forward."
'Dr King's legacy is close to us'
"India's bonds with your mother were particularly strong because she proved through her life and work that Mahatma Gandhi's teachings and values had universal applicability," Dr Singh said.
The prime minister's message came as thousands of mourners filed past King's casket on Monday ahead of her burial, paying their respects at the historic church where her husband shared his dream for racial equality in the 1960s.
The United States is observing a one-month mourning period for King, 78, who died overnight on January 30 at a clinic in Mexico, where doctors said she was battling advanced ovarian cancer.
Ambassador Raminder Jassal, Charge d' Affaires, Embassy of India, will represent the Government of India at the Coretta's funeral, being held in Atlanta on Tuesday along with S M Gavai, Consul General of India in Houston.
On January 15, Ambassador Ronen Sen had organized a reception to commemorate the 77th birth anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King in partnership with the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Celebration Day Committee.
On the occasion, Sen announced the holding of an annual lecture to honour the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King, to be delivered by prominent people from the two countries, alternately in India and United States.