'Congress Insulting Constitution Of India': Pranab Mukherjee's Daughter Amid Memorial Row | Exclusive - News18

'Congress Insulting Constitution Of India': Pranab Mukherjee's Daughter Amid Memorial Row | Exclusive - News18

Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has alleged that the Congress was insulting the Constitution of India by not welcoming the memorial for her father. She also said her father and former President had thought of conferring the Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

A day after the Centre on January 7 sanctioned a dedicated site to establish a memorial honouring Pranab Mukherjee, his daughter, speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, said the former President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a “genuine" bond.

“The saddest part of the Congress party is that instead of welcoming the memorial, it is insulting the Constitution of India," Sharmistha Mukherjee told CNN-News18.

“Through my father’s diary, I came to know that he had thought of conferring the Bharat Ratna to Manmohan Singh," she said, adding, “My father and Prime Minister Modi shared a genuine bond."

Sharmistha Mukherjee also expressed gratitude to PM Modi for meeting her in this regard.

“I requested an appointment from the Prime Minister and got the opportunity to meet him. I felt extremely happy, and felt real gratitude from him," she said.

Also speaking about the Congress’s remarks against Pranab Mukherjee, calling him an ‘RSS agent’ and ‘Sanghi’, Sharmistha Mukherjee said, “The Congress should have come out with something better."

“The party should have thought sensibly for Baba (Pranab Mukherjee) and not make such foolish remarks against him. He was a Congress stalwart," she said.

“My father was angry as he was targeted for visiting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders. However, he believed in dialogue across different ideologies," she added.

Sharmistha Mukherjee met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and thanked him for honouring her father.

Before that, the government, in a letter to her, wrote, “The Competent Authority has approved the earmarking of a designated site within the ‘Rashtriya Smriti’ complex (a part of the Rajghat precinct) for erecting a Samadhi of Late Shri Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India."

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After receiving the letter, Sharmistha Mukherjee sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to thank him for the honour.

The sanction for Mukherjee’s memorial comes in the wake of demands by the Congress to have a memorial for Manmohan Singh, who died at Delhi’s AIIMS at the age of 92 on December 26.