‘Congress Pushes Its Own Away, BJP More Inclusive’: Pranab Mukherjee’s Daughter Sharmishtha To News18 – News18

Last Updated:December 29, 2024, 19:59 IST

Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee’s views on the Manmohan Singh memorial issue also stem from the fact that her father was upset with the Congress

Amid the Manmohan Singh memorial row, former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee has criticised the Congress for the “misappropriation” of its own leaders. She said the party pushes its own leaders away while the BJP, in that regard, was more “inclusive”.

“The BJP is more inclusive. They respected our leaders more than the Congress did. Look at how they gave awards to Tarun Gogoi, Ghulam Nabi Azad; they were all Congressmen. The Congress pushes its own away,” she told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interview.

The Congress is planning to pipe up the issue of a memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by accusing the Centre of being “anti-Sikh” and disrespectful towards him. But, Sharmishtha, who is one of their own, has blown the lid off and accused the party of being disrespectful.

Her statement comes as the BJP showed the Congress the mirror citing past instances of how the party had done the same to Dr Manmohan Singh and another former prime minister, PV Narasimha Rao. It also slammed the Grand Old Party for indulging in “dirty” politics over Singh’s state funeral and memorial.

“I don’t know why the Congress is making a political issue over the memorial. The Congress is right to ask for it, but the government has agreed to this so why make a fuss?” she said.

Sharmistha’s views on the issue, however, also stem from the fact that her father was upset with his party. In her earlier tell-all biography about her father, which was based on his diaries, she mourned the fact that the party did not even hold a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting when he died; one, however, was held for Singh.

“When I asked them about this, they told me they don’t do such things for the President. But, when I checked later, I found that they had done one for former President KR Narayanan,” she said.

She said the party should have proudly owned up to Pranab Mukherjee. “…Not only this, barring Ahmed Patel, Hooda, Anand Sharma, no one turned up for the Bharat Ratna ceremony of my father. I didn’t say much then, but now I feel that was so wrong,” she added.

Sharmishtha was also highly critical of senior leader Rahul Gandhi tearing up an ordinance in 2013 (which could have effectively protected him from being disqualified as an MP 10 years later), saying: “This was showing arrogance, this was disrespect to a PM, who was abroad. If it had been anyone else, there would have been a show-cause notice, or he could have even been sacked. But, he was not, because he is Rahul Gandhi.”