Pranab Mukherjee's daughter had opposed his RSS event visit

The two, according to sources, had a row when Mukherjee had accepted the invite from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat some weeks back.

Former president Pranab Mukherjee, slated to address Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres on Thursday, landed in Nagpur on Wednesday evening but didn’t offer tributes at the memorial of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar located there.

However, it also transpired that not just several leaders in the Congress, but also Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha had opposed his visiting the RSS headquarters.

The two, according to sources, had a row when Mukherjee had accepted the invite from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat some weeks back. But this came out in the public domain when sections of the media reported on Wednesday evening that Sharmistha, the chief of the women’s wing of the Delhi unit of the Congress party, could be the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from West Bengal’s Malda Lok Sabha seat in 2019. The media reports attributed the information to BJP sources.

Sources in Mukherjee’s office denied these reports. They said Mukherjee has had “no political discussions” with RSS-BJP. An upset Sharmishtha, who is currently on vacation, took to Twitter where she not only denied the news but told her father that she had forewarned him about this.

“I joined politics because I believe in the Congress party. I would rather leave politics than leave Congress,” she said. But that wasn’t all.

In her second tweet, where she also tagged her father, Sharmistha said: “Hope .@CitiznMukherjee now realises from todays’ incident, how BJP dirty tricks department operates. Even the RSS wouldn’t believe that you are going to endorse its views in your speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain and those will be circulated with fake statements.”

In a third tweet, she said: ".@CitiznMukherjee by going to Nagpur, you are giving BJP/RSS full handle to plant false stories, spread false rumours like today and making it somewhat believable. And this is just the beginning!"

The former president had already conveyed to the RSS leadership that he, unlike other chief guests at such events, will not offer floral tributes at Hedgewar’s memorial.

The RSS welcomed Mukherjee’s visit, and said it should be an example to the Congress and others who pursue politics of untouchability.

Why Mukherjee's Nagpur visit should worry BJP brass more than Congress

Some in the Congress have criticised Mukherjee for accepting the RSS invite, arguing that would give legitimacy to the RSS, but others have for months advised the Congress against attacking the RSS.

In the past two years, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has called on former president Pranab Mukherjee on four occasions. Two of these meetings took place while Mukherjee was still a resident of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the two subsequent meetings were held at his new address – 10, Rajaji Marg.



These meetings have helped Mukherjee and Bhagwat develop mutual respect for each other. Bhagwat has come to admire Mukherjee’s knowledge of Indian history and his understanding of the Hindu social reform that began in Bengal in the 19th Century.



Mukherjee attaches much importance to preserving the robustness of institutions to keep democracy alive in India, and it is likely that the subject would have come up during his discussions with Bhagwat. In turn, Mukherjee has come to appreciate the various social service projects that RSS undertakes, particularly in the northeastern states.



Bhagwat had invited Mukherjee at least on four earlier occasions to attend an RSS event. Mukherjee refused as he didn’t deem it fit that a serving President of India should attend an event of an organisation with a contentious record. Eventually, the former president relented and accepted the latest invite.



A lifelong Congressman with strong secular credentials, Mukherjee is likely to speak at the RSS event on the subject of India’s civilisational ethos of inclusive nationalism, espoused in modern times by such thinkers as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. It would be interesting to see if Mukherjee chooses to quote Nehru’s criticism of the RSS. Mukherjee’s speech will be keenly followed across the country.



Some in the  Congress have criticised Mukherjee for accepting the RSS invite, arguing that Mukherjee’s presence would give legitimacy to the RSS.



But there are others who have, and for months now, advised the Congress leadership against attacking the RSS. According to sources in the Congress, over the past year, the RSS has reached out to some of the Congress leaders. The RSS pointspersons have told the Congress that the Sangh is a “nationalist organisation”, which has in the past supported the Congress, particularly Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, on specific issues.

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