New Delhi: After a war of words between the BJP and the Congress, the Centre agreed to locate space for a memorial of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But amid such developments, Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee and a former Congress member, has raked up a controversy. She took to social media and criticised the Congress for demanding a separate memorial space for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while failing to convene a Working Committee meeting to condole her father, Pranab Mukherjee’s death.
In a social media post, she revealed that a senior Congress leader had dismissed the idea of holding such a meet. She said the Congress leader had claimed that such meetings were not customary for former Presidents.
“When baba passed away, Congress didn’t even bother to call a CWC for a condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done for Presidents. That’s utter rubbish,” Sharmistha Mukherjee wrote, adding “…I learned later from baba’s diaries that on KR Narayanan’s death, CWC was called & condolence msg was drafted by baba only.”
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
She, however, said that former PM Manmohan Singh deserves a separate memorial space.
“Having said that, a memorial for Dr Singh is a great idea. He deserves it and also Bharat Ratna, which baba, as President, wanted to confer on him; but that didn’t happen, perhaps due to two reasons which don’t need to be spelt out,” she wrote.
Earlier, the Congress’s request for the cremation to be held at a separate memorial site was initially denied by the Centre. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had called it a “deliberate insult to India’s first Sikh Prime Minister”. Reacting to such an allegation, BJP leaders pointed out the Congress’s failure to build a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
