Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has criticised the Congress party for its perceived hypocrisy in advocating a separate memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday (December 26) night due to age-related ailments at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.
In a pointed statement on social media platform X, Sharmistha expressed her discontent with the Congress leadership, citing their failure to appropriately honor her father upon his passing in August 2020. She revealed that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had not convened a condolence meeting for Pranab Mukherjee despite his illustrious service to the party and the nation.
“When baba passed away, Congress didn’t even bother to call CWC for a condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done for Presidents. That’s utter rubbish, as I learned later from baba’s diaries that on KR Narayanan’s death, CWC was called, and the condolence message was drafted by baba only,” Sharmistha wrote, calling the reasoning offered by the Congress leadership “utter rubbish.”
Sharmistha’s remarks came in response to Congress’ recent push for a dedicated memorial for Dr. Singh. She highlighted what she perceived as a double standard, pointing out that the party had sidelined her father’s contributions and failed to appropriately honor him. Her criticism was echoed in a post by BJP leader C.R. Kesavan, who accused the Congress of marginalising prominent statesmen who did not belong to the Gandhi family.
Sharmistha’s statements brought to light a similar episode involving the late Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. According to “The Accidental Prime Minister,” a book by Sanjaya Baru, who served as Manmohan Singh’s media advisor, the Congress-led UPA government did not build a memorial for Rao in Delhi after his death in 2004. The book also alleged that the party preferred Rao’s cremation to take place in his native Hyderabad rather than the national capital.
Despite her criticism, Sharmistha clarified that she supported the idea of a memorial for Dr. Singh and emphasised his deserving candidacy for the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. “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 reasons which don’t need to be spelled out,” she stated in a separate post.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting a memorial for Dr. Singh at a final resting place befitting his stature as a statesman. Responding promptly, the Centre announced its decision to allocate space for the memorial.
In an official statement, the government said, “Immediately after the Cabinet meeting, HM Shri Amit Shah communicated to Congress President Shri Kharge and the family of Late Dr. Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed, and space has to be allocated to it.”
The controversy surrounding memorials has reignited debates about the Congress party’s treatment of its leaders and the broader question of how Indian statesmen are remembered. Sharmistha’s revelations and candid remarks underscore the need for introspection within political parties about how they honour their leaders, irrespective of internal dynamics.
Manmohan Singh’s cremation is expected to take place with state honours, marking the beginning of the process of establishing a dedicated memorial for the economist and statesman who served as India’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.
