Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of the late former President Pranab Mukherjee and a former Congress member, voiced strong criticism against her erstwhile party for what she described as selective and inconsistent practices in honoring its leaders. She highlighted the Congress’s failure to convene a Working Committee meeting to formally condole her father’s death, a gesture she believed was not only appropriate but necessary given her father’s significant contributions to the party and the nation. According to Mukherjee, a senior Congress leader had dismissed the idea, claiming that such meetings were not customary for former Presidents. She firmly rejected this explanation, labeling it "utter rubbish" and pointing out that her father’s own diaries documented that a condolence meeting had indeed been convened for former President KR Narayanan, with her father himself drafting the condolence message.
Amid her critique, Mukherjee expressed unequivocal support for the idea of a dedicated memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, emphasizing that he fully deserved such an honor as well as the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. She revealed that her father, during his tenure as President, had planned to confer the Bharat Ratna upon Singh but was unable to do so, hinting at political reasons without delving into specifics. Mukherjee described Singh as a statesman of exceptional stature and insisted that his contributions to the country merited enduring recognition.
Her remarks came against the backdrop of a political controversy surrounding the Congress’s appeal for a dedicated memorial space for Dr. Singh. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to allocate a site that would honor Singh’s legacy. Initially, the Centre rejected this request and directed that Singh’s cremation take place at Nigam Bodh Ghat, a public crematorium. This decision ignited a political storm, with Congress leaders accusing the BJP of disrespecting the former Prime Minister. Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress figure, described the move as a "deliberate insult," asserting that Singh’s global stature demanded a memorial of appropriate significance. "The people of our country are unable to comprehend why the government could not find a suitable location for Dr. Singh’s funeral and memorial," he stated on social media.
The BJP, however, countered the Congress’s criticism by pointing to its own lapses in honoring leaders from within its ranks. BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan highlighted the Congress’s failure to establish a memorial for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, despite having a decade in power after his death in 2004. Kesavan remarked that it was only under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that Rao was honored with a memorial in Delhi in 2015 and posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024. He questioned the Congress’s credibility in demanding memorials while overlooking its own history of neglect toward distinguished leaders like Rao.
Sharmistha Mukherjee’s remarks further intensified the debate, casting a spotlight on the Congress’s inconsistent approach to memorializing its stalwarts. Reflecting on her father’s experiences and treatment within the party, she criticized the Congress for its selective practices, which she argued undermined its own legacy. Her statements fueled a broader discussion about how political leaders in India are remembered and honored after their passing, exposing a deeper cultural and political divide over the protocols for recognizing national service.
In a late-night development, the Centre broke the impasse and agreed to allocate a separate memorial space for Manmohan Singh, a move that sought to quell the mounting controversy. However, the episode left lingering questions about the politics of memory and how India chooses to honor its most distinguished leaders, with Sharmistha Mukherjee’s candid observations adding a poignant and personal dimension to the discourse.
