Pranab Mukherjee’s forthcoming visit to RSS headquarters forces his daughter, Congress leaders and private secretary to pass the buck.

By accepting the RSS’ invite to attend their programme at Nagpur on June 7, former president Pranab Mukherjee has put the Congress leaders in an awkward position. They are reacting to the situation in different ways.

While some Congress leaders have pleaded with Mukherjee to withdraw his acceptance, most of them are now awaiting his visit to the RSS headquarters and deliver his speech. They expect the former president to “hold mirror to the RSS”.

For instance, former finance minister P Chidambaram, who was Mukherjee’s cabinet colleague during UPA regime, wants him to tell the RSS what is wrong with their ideology.

Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee, who is the Delhi Congress’ chief spokesperson, got agitated when asked to comment on the matter.

Why don’t you ask the Congress national spokespersons? – Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee

She told India Today to get a reply from the Congress national spokesperson. “Why should I speak on the reason behind his (Pranab Mukherjee) acceptance of the invite? I am just his daughter. Why don’t you ask the Congress national spokespersons?” she said.

Pressed for a response, Sharmistha said she had chosen not to speak on the matter.

If there are any queries then they should be better taken to the former president himself. – Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari sought to evade the topic. Underplaying the issue, he said, “The RSS has invited the former president and reports suggest that he has ostensibly agreed to be the chief guest at a training camp of the RSS. If there are any queries then they should be better taken to the former president himself.”

When Pranab Mukherjee’s private secretary Abhijit Rai was contacted, he said the former president would not speak on the issue. “I know what you want to ask him. But no way. He will not speak a word, he said.”

However, in a tongue-in-cheek comment, a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity that Pranab Mukherjee is an energetic person because he has chosen to visit Nagpur in the month of June when the maximum temperature there hovers around 50 degrees Celsius.

He will not speak a word. – Pranab Mukherjee’s private secretary

“He is a free bird after stepping down from the presidents post. It is quite possible that he may choose to participate in a programme of Jamaat-e-Islami in July when the temperature becomes cooler,” he said.

Another senior party said, “Since 1980s we have been listening to Mukherjee’s lectures during the Congress’ training programmes. He would present himself as an embodiment of secularism and communal harmony.

“His refrain would be that the RSS and the BJP are the causes for all the ills that India is suffering from. But now suddenly he chooses to visit the RSS function but meet sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat but leave us appearing as fools,” he said.