Some news reports had come up recently suggesting that former president and Congress leader’s daughter, Sharmishtha Mukherjee may contest elections on a BJP ticket. It was being said that former president Pranab Mukherjee wanted her to contest elections from Malda in West Bengal. As per sources, Pranab Mukherjee is believed to have had meetings with BJP leaders a couple of times.
Sharmishtha Mukherjee is currently a Congress spokesperson and if she had taken a decision to snub the Congress and contest from a BJP ticket, it would have been a huge embarrassment for the Congress, leaving it with no possible explanation. Pranab Mukherjee’s decision to attend and address an RSS event in Nagpur has left the Congress red-faced. Reportedly, several Congress leaders have criticised this decision by the former president to attend the RSS event and many of them have even suggested that he reconsider this decision.
Meanwhile, Sharmishtha Mukherjee has outrightly denied that she won’t be joining the BJP. She rubbished the rumours in strong, clear and unambiguous words. Sharmishtha made it clear that she would rather leave politics than quit the Congress. It is thus clear that she is a devoted Congress member. Even though she is outside the city, she quickly took to Twitter to deny the baseless rumours. However, the family within the Congress and their sycophants are known for taking loyality tests. It seems that Sharmishtha has been made to pass through a similar test. She has been made to criticise her own father publicly for attending the RSS event. This might have been forced upon her in order to assure the party high command that she is not drifting away ideologically.
Instead of personally advising her father not to attend the RSS event, Sharmishtha has come out rebuking her father’s decision to attend the event. She has stated that Pranab Mukherjee does not realise that no one will remember the speech he gives at the event, and that only visuals will be remembered and fake statements circulated. This shows how Sharmishtha was made to prove her loyalty, while simultaneously an attempt was made by the Congress to embarrass the former President publicly.
Hope @CitiznMukherjee now realises from todays’ incident, how BJP dirty tricks dept operates. Even RSS wouldn’t believe that u r going 2 endorse its views in ur speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain & those will be circulated with fake statements. 1/2
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) June 6, 2018
It was totally acceptable to let Sharmishtha Mukherjee persuade Pranab Mukherjee into not attending the RSS event. However, to force things publicly amounts to creating an unnecessary and ugly controversy. The Congress has no business in deciding where the former president should go and where he should not go. He was the President of the entire nation and the Congress has no special rights over him. It is highly disgraceful how the Congress is demeaning the status of a former president and is treating him in an undignified manner. Its true that his attending an RSS event would be a manifestation of fading faith in the Congress’ ideology and a stamp of authority on what the RSS is doing, but the Congress should not have a problem with this.
Congress and its ideology has been routinely rejected in the past four years, and hence it is no big deal if the former Congress leader and president of India is also showing similar signs. Its better if the Congress keeps mum on this matter, as Pranab Mukherjee is not their property and bears no allegiance to the Congress. In fact, the Congress should refrain from creating a political slugfest in this matter and avoid involving his family.
