Modi Govt to Build Memorial for Former President Pranab Mukherjee

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th Jan. Amid Congress’s demand for a memorial to honor former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Modi government has announced its decision to establish a memorial for former President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtriya Smriti complex, part of the Rajghat precinct.

Pranab Mukherjee, a veteran Congress leader who served as India’s president from 2012 to 2017, passed away in 2020. The announcement was made official through a government letter shared by Mukherjee’s daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, on social media platform X.

Expressing gratitude, Sharmistha Mukherjee revealed she had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to thank him for the decision. “Immensely touched by this unexpected but truly gracious gesture by PM Modi,” she wrote, sharing how her late father believed state honors should be offered rather than requested.

The letter stated that the government had approved a designated site within the Rashtriya Smriti complex for erecting Mukherjee’s memorial. Sharmistha, a former Congress leader, called it a cherished gesture, noting that the family had not asked for such an honor.

This decision comes shortly after a controversy surrounding the funeral arrangements for Manmohan Singh. The Congress accused the BJP-led Centre of disrespecting India’s first Sikh prime minister by holding his funeral at Nigambodh Ghat instead of setting up a memorial.

The BJP defended the government, stating that Singh’s family and the Congress were informed that a memorial would be established, emphasizing that such arrangements require time for land acquisition, forming trusts, and completing formalities.