Pranab Mukherjee's Daughter Slams Congress Amid Manmohan Singh Memorial Row: 'Didn’t Even Bother To Call...'
Sharmistha Mukherjee, however, backed the Congress's request for a memorial for former PM Manmohan Singh, and called for bestowing him with Bharat Ratna honour, for his contributions to the country.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee on Saturday criticised the Congress party for not holding a Congress Working Committee (CWC) condolence meeting after her father’s demise in 2020. This came amid the row over a memorial place for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on December 26, and the Congress slamming the Centre for "insulting" Singh by not holding his last rites at a designated site.
Taking to X, Mukherjee replied to a post shared by BJP's CR Kesavan who had alleged in a tweet that former PM PV Narasimha Rao's mortal remains weren't laid at the All India Congress Committee's headquarters and how Congress did not want Rao's cremation to take place in Delhi but in Hyderabad.
"When baba passed away, Congress didnt even bother 2 call CWC 4 condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done 4 Presidents. Thats utter rubbish as I learned later from baba’s diaries that on KR Narayanan’s death, CWC was called & condolence msg was drafted by baba only," she wrote in a post.
When baba passed away, Congress didnt even bother 2 call CWC 4 condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done 4 Presidents. Thats utter rubbish as I learned later from baba’s diaries that on KR Narayanan’s death, CWC was called & condolence msg was drafted by baba only https://t.co/nbYCF7NsMB
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) December 27, 2024
However, she backed the Congress's request for a memorial place for former PM Manmohan Singh, and called for bestowing him with Bharat Ratna honour, for his contributions to the country's development.
"Having said that, a memorial for Dr. Singh is a great idea. He deserves it & also Bharat Ratna which baba as President wanted 2 confer on him; but that didn’t happen perhaps due 2 reasons which don’t need to be spelled out," she wrote in another X post.
Having said that, a memorial for Dr. Singh is a great idea. He deserves it & also Bharat Ratna which baba as President wanted 2 confer on him; but that didn’t happen perhaps due 2 reasons which don’t need to be spelled out. https://t.co/5MhH7k5Smq pic.twitter.com/yUZCEXNMxK
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) December 27, 2024
#WATCH | Haryana | On the issue of allocating space for a memorial for former PM #DrManmohanSingh, Author & daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, Sharmistha Mukherjee says, "There should be no politics on this issue because it has been our tradition that memorials are… pic.twitter.com/BlDPwEtN20
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2024
'I Expected A Formal Condolence From CWC'
After tweeting about her disappointment with Congress, Sharmistha Mukherjee clarified that she does not want to stir a controversy but was "concerned about the lack of a formal condolence meeting for my father (Pranab Mukherjee) by the Congress Working Committee."
In an interview with news agency IANS, she said: "When I saw a tweet by BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan highlighting the poor treatment of P.V. Narasimha Rao after his death, I was reminded of how my father’s passing was handled by Congress. My father had been associated with Congress for over three decades, and I expected a formal condolence from the CWC, which did not happen. Although Sonia Gandhi sent me a personal message, I felt deeply hurt that there was no official recognition from the party."
She further recalled speaking to senior party leaders about the matter, who she said told her that since her father was a President, "it was not customary to offer condolences for a former head of state".
Mukherjee said that it was much later that she discovered while scanning through her father's diary that he himself had drafted a condolence message for other Presidents such as K.R. Narayanan after their passing.
"My father’s long association with Congress, both as president and as a key leader, warranted a formal acknowledgment, which never came," she added.
Although she backed a memorial for Manmohan Singh, she also mentioned how disheartened she was on her father not being given a similar recognition from Congress.
"This issue has nothing to do with Dr. Singh’s memorial, but I do feel that my father, who was deeply involved in the party for decades, deserved formal condolences from the CWC. I also urge the government to build a memorial for Dr. Singh, in recognition of his invaluable service to the country," Sharmistha Mukherjee said.
'Personal Condolences Different From Institutional Tributes'
The author reiterated her disappointment over not getting a formal letter from the party at the time of her father's death. She also stressed she was hurt when the party did not hold a formal condolence meeting, which could have been possible virtually, since Pranab Mukherjee passed away during pandemic.
"Sonia Gandhi wrote me a very kind personal message. But personal condolences are different from institutional tributes. My father had been with Congress for 45 years, serving as the president for five years and he was deeply associated with the CWC for over 30 years. In this context, it was expected that the CWC would hold a formal condolence meeting. The fact that this did not happen, especially during the pandemic when virtual meetings were possible, was very hurtful to me," she said.
When asked if Pranab Mukherjee received respect from Congress, she said: "Yes, my father received a great deal of respect from the party, and his contributions were acknowledged. However, whether the lack of a formal condolence from the CWC was due to a deliberate decision or a lapse in institutional memory, I don’t know. If Congress has lost its institutional memory and forgotten its protocols, that is indeed a sad state of affairs."
Rahul Gandhi Hits Out At Centre For 'Insulting' Manmohan Singh
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi had hit out at the central government, accusing it of "insulting" Manmohan Singh by conducting his last rites at Nigambodh Ghat instead of a designated site where a memorial could be built later.
"The great son of Mother India and the first Prime Minister of the Sikh community, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji has been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites today at the Nigambodh Ghat," the Congress leader said in a post on X, hours after the funeral was held.
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