The Central government has sanctioned a plot at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal within the Rajghat complex in Delhi for a memorial to former President Pranab Mukherjee, who died in August 2020. Mukherjee’s daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi with gratitude, calling the gesture “gracious” and “unexpected.”
Former President Pranab Mukherjee to Recieve Gracious Tribute, Land Allocated for Memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal
Sharmistha has shared a letter from the Land and Development Office dated January 1, stating the allotment of the site. The memorial would be part of the Rashtriya Smriti complex, a section reserved for honoring national leaders.
“The move is very touching, especially as we have never sought the same. My father always believed that state honors must be offered, not asked for. I am deeply grateful to PM Modi for respecting his memory this way.”
Notably, speaking after a meeting with the Prime Minister, she said that she felt that the decision was significant for values her father held dear.
Pranab Mukherjee was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017, after a career spanning more than five decades as a politician. He was one of the senior leaders of the Indian National Congress, having held various key ministerial portfolios, most notably that of Finance Minister, from 2009 to 2012.
In 2019, the then-President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, conferred upon Mukherjee India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna.
Sharmistha’s Take on Congress Response
A former Congress leader, Sharmistha had, in the past expressed her anguish over how the Congress party responded to her father’s death. She said she felt the Congress Working Committee never formally condoled his death since his association with the party was well over six decades.
“Baba was part of the CWC for three decades. The absence of an institutional condolence resolution was painful,” she said. Sharmistha added that her father had personally drafted the condolence message for former President KR Narayanan, also making the omission even more striking.
This memorial stands as a lasting tribute to Pranab Mukherjee’s legacy, reflecting the respect he commanded across party lines.
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