Former President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Nagpur to attend an RSS event on Thursday is giving the BJP and RSS an opportunity to spread rumours, according to his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee.
The Delhi Congress leader tweeted on Wednesday that the BJP had floated rumours of her joining the party. She said: “Hope @CitiznMukherjee now realises from todays’ incident, how BJP dirty tricks dept operates. Even RSS wouldn’t believe that u r going 2 endorse its views in ur speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain & those will be circulated with fake statements. 1/2 [sic].”
In another tweet, she said: “@CitiznMukherjee By going 2 Nagpur, u r giving BJP/RSS full handle 2 plant false stories, spread falls rumours as 2day & making it somewhat believable. And this is just d beginning! 2/2 [sic].”
Congress leader Ahmed Patel joined the debate. “I didn't expect this from Pranab Da,” he tweeted.
Mr. Mukherjee will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony of ‘Tritiya Varsha Sangh Shiksha Varg’, an RSS event to mark the conclusion of three years' training camp. He will also be delivering a speech on the occasion.
Mr. Mukherjee, when he was associated with the Congress, had moved a resolution during a party conclave in 2010 to investigate alleged links of terrorists with the RSS and its sister organisations.
Mr. Mukherjee has maintained that he should be judged after his speech at the event. “Whatever I have to say, I will say in Nagpur,” he had told Anandabazar Patrika. But political leaders are divided over his decision.
