Sharmistha Mukherjee criticised the party for demanding a separate memorial space for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while failing to convene a Working Committee meeting to condole her father’s death.
Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee and a former Congress member, criticised the party for demanding a separate memorial space for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while failing to convene a Working Committee meeting to condole her father’s death. Speaking out against the lapse, she revealed that a senior Congress leader had dismissed the idea, claiming such meetings were not customary for former Presidents.
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 said.
Her remarks come amidst a fresh controversy surrounding the Congress’s appeal for a dedicated memorial for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting a resting place for Singh that would also serve as a memorial, in keeping with the tradition of honouring distinguished statesmen.
Initially, the Centre rejected the request, announcing that Singh’s cremation would take place at Nigambodh Ghat, a public crematorium. The decision led to a political uproar, with Congress accusing the BJP of showing disrespect to the former Prime Minister.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the move a “deliberate insult,” arguing that Singh’s contributions to the nation warranted a site befitting his global stature.
“The people of our country are unable to understand why the Indian government could not find a place for his funeral and memorial befitting his global stature,” he tweeted.
The BJP, in turn, pointed out the Congress’s failure to build a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao. Party spokesperson CR Kesavan argued that Congress had set a precedent of neglect when it came to honoring its leaders.
“It is indeed ironic that a Congress President is writing to PM Narendra Modi ji about traditions and the funeral place becoming the sacrosanct venue for a memorial. One should remind Kharge ji how the Congress-led UPA government never built a memorial in Delhi for former PM Narasimha Rao ji, who passed away in 2004. The Congress never built a memorial for him in the 10 years they were in power from 2004-2014. It was only PM Modi ji in 2015 who instituted a memorial for Narasimha Rao ji and honoured him posthumously in 2024 with the Bharat Ratna,” Kesavan said.
In a late-night development, the Centre broke the deadlock and agreed to provide a separate space for Manmohan Singh’s memorial
Author: VS NEWS DESK
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