Mukherjee, who had been in the Congress for most of his political career , will attend the valedictory function of the 'Sangh Shiksha Varg'. Congress leaders have urged him not to attend the event in the "interest of secularism". Despite the reservations expressed by the Congress leaders, Mukherjee will attend the event.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Nagpur to attend an RSS event which has generated a lot of interest and controversy over the last few days.
Mukherjee, who had been in the Congress for most of his political career , will attend the valedictory function of the 'Sangh Shiksha Varg'. Congress leaders have urged him not to attend the event in the "interest of secularism". Despite the reservations expressed by the Congress leaders, Mukherjee will attend the event.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that since Mukherjee has accepted the invitation, he should go and tell the RSS "what is wrong" in their ideology. Ramesh Chennithala, a senior Congress leader from Kerala, last week sent a letter to Mukherjee, requesting him to refrain from attending the event. Chennithala said that Mukherjee's decision had come as a "rude shock" to the secular minds of the country.
West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury and senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao too urged Mukherjee not to attend the event. "I am really surprised to hear about the decision of Pranab Mukherjee to attend RSS's programme in Nagpur," said Chowdhury. "My question is does he think his previous comments against RSS were wrong . We still remember how Pranab Mukherjee as a senior leader of the Congress had criticized RSS as a communal and a divisive organization," he said.