'When baba passed away...': Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter calls out Congress amid Manmohan Singh's memorial

Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has criticized the Congress for failing to convene a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting following her father's passing.

Sharmistha Mukherjee, however, supported the Congress's appeal to the Centre for a memorial for Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday.

On X, she expressed her disappointment, pointing out that the Congress had failed to convene a CWC meeting after her father, Pranab Mukherjee, passed away in 2020, stating that such gestures weren't extended to former presidents.

“When baba passed away, Congress didnt even bother 2 call CWC 4 condolence meeting. A senior leader told me it’s not done 4 Presidents. Thats utter rubbish as I learned later from baba’s diaries that on KR Narayanan’s death, CWC was called & condolence msg was drafted by baba only,” she wrote in a post.

Mukherjee’s remarks came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for a dedicated space for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s funeral, where a memorial could be established. Sharmistha also expressed her support for the idea of creating a memorial for Dr. Singh.

“Having said that, a memorial for Dr. Singh is a great idea. He deserves it & also Bharat Ratna which baba as President wanted 2 confer on him; but that didn’t happen perhaps due 2 reasons which don’t need to be spelled out,” she shared in another post on X.

On Friday, Congress accused the government of deliberately insulting India’s first Sikh prime minister by not providing a location for Manmohan Singh’s cremation and memorial.

The party raised this concern after the Union home ministry announced that Singh's last rites would be conducted at New Delhi’s Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 am on Saturday with full state honours.

In response, the home ministry clarified that space would be allocated for a memorial for the former prime minister, and this information had been communicated to both his family and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

A late-night release from the ministry, titled "Facts of the matter regarding memorial for Former Prime Minister Late Dr. Manmohan Singh," stated that the government had received a request for a memorial from Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

Following the Cabinet meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the family of Manmohan Singh that the government would allocate land for a memorial.

The home ministry further clarified that while the memorial space would be designated, formalities related to the cremation and the formation of a Trust would proceed in the interim.

Manmohan Singh, who served as India’s prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and is credited with pivotal economic reforms, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92.