Tuesday, February 7 2006 11:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed condolences on behalf of India on the passing of Coretta Scott King, the widow of Rev Martin Luther King Jr, 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, Singh described Coretta Scott King as comrade and partner of Dr Martin Luther King and a powerful voice who carried his message forward.

"If today civil rights are regarded as an inalienable value, credit for that should in substantial measure go to Mrs. King 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," the Prime Minister said.

"If today, civil rights are regarded as an inalienable value, the credit for that should, in substantial measure, go to your mother and her activities. 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," Singh said.

Singh's message came as thousands of mourners filed past King's casket yesterday ahead of her burial, paying their respects to at the historic church where her husband shared his dream for racial equality in the 1960s.

The US is observing a one-month mourning period for King, 78, who died overnight on January 30 in an alternative medicine clinic in Mexico, where doctors said she was battling advanced ovarian cancer.