Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has strongly criticized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s proposal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for establishing a separate memorial for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Her remarks come in the wake of Dr. Singh’s passing at the age of 92 due to age-related illnesses at AIIMS Delhi on Thursday night.
In a statement on X, Sharmistha accused the Congress leadership of neglecting her father’s legacy when he passed away in August 2020. She alleged that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) did not even convene a condolence meeting for the former President, which she described as a glaring oversight. She further claimed that when she raised the issue, a senior Congress leader dismissed it, saying such practices were not customary for Indian Presidents. Calling this explanation “utter rubbish,” Sharmistha pointed out that her father’s personal diaries revealed otherwise. According to her, a condolence meeting was held by the CWC for former President KR Narayanan, and the condolence message was drafted by none other than Pranab Mukherjee himself.
Sharmistha’s criticism extended to Congress’s alleged bias towards members of the Gandhi family. She referenced a post by BJP leader CR Kesavan, who accused the Congress of disregarding party statesmen who were not part of the Gandhi lineage. She also cited the book The Accidental Prime Minister by Dr. Sanjaya Baru, a former media advisor to Dr. Singh, which highlighted similar issues. The book claimed that the Congress-led UPA government never established a memorial in Delhi for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, despite being in power from 2004 to 2014. It also alleged that the Congress initially resisted Rao’s cremation in New Delhi, preferring it to take place in his native Hyderabad.
The ongoing debate over a memorial for Dr. Manmohan Singh has reignited these old grievances, with Sharmistha Mukherjee emphasizing the Congress’s inconsistent treatment of its leaders. Her statements reflect growing discontent over the party’s perceived indifference to leaders outside the Gandhi family. As the controversy unfolds, the Congress faces increasing scrutiny over its historical practices of commemorating its former leaders, raising broader questions about the party’s internal priorities and legacy management.
