Former President Pranab Mukherjee and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat at Hedgewar Residence in Nagpur on Thursday. Images of them on stage have been photoshopped to show Mukherjee also performing the RSS solute. (Express Photo/Monica Chaturvedi)
Sharmistha Mukherjee Thursday targeted the BJP and RSS for a viral photoshopped image of her father and former President Pranab Mukherjee doing the RSS’ salute along with its chief Mohan Bhagwat. Sharmistha, the president of the Delhi Congress women’s wing, alleged the right-wing organisations’ dirty tricks departments were at work in full swing. Her comments come a day after she warned her father that his visit to the RSS headquarters would fuel rumours and fake news.
“See, this is exactly what I was fearing & warned my father about. Not even few hours have passed, but BJP/RSS dirty tricks dept is at work in full swing!” Sharmistha tweeted last night.
The former President Thursday addressed a programme of the RSS as a chief guest, a decision which was questioned by leaders in the Congress.
See, this is exactly what I was fearing & warned my father about. Not even few hours have passed, but BJP/RSS dirty tricks dept is at work in full swing! http://t.co/dII3nBSxb6
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) June 7, 2018
Real 1 n fake 2 ye kalakari bjp itcell ….kuch to sharm rakho..jo bola hai wo ni bataynge.@MahilaCongress @ChitraSarwara @sushmitadevmp @chouhan_sumitra @INCIndia @IYC @RahulGandhi @neetuvermasoin @DeependerSHooda @rssurjewala @Sharmistha_GK @INCHaryana @HaryanaPMC pic.twitter.com/YZQvohHmOG
— Ruchi Sharma (@RuchisharmaINC) June 7, 2018
A day before the event, Sharmistha had warned her father that his speech will be forgotten, but visuals of him will be circulated with fake statements. “By going to Nagpur, you are giving BJP/RSS full handle to plant false stories, spread falls rumours and make it somewhat believable. And this is just the beginning!” she had said. “The speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain and those will be circulated with fake statements.”
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
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) June 6, 2018
Sharmistha, however, endorsed the view that every family has opposing views, which is why she expressed her differences in public. “We are a democratic, argumentative family; and I learnt this from my father only,” she added.
In his speech, Pranab Mukherjee said, “any attempt at defining our nationhood in terms of dogmas and identities of religion, region, hatred and intolerance will only lead to dilution of our national identity”.
He added, “The soul of India resides in pluralism and tolerance… Secularism and inclusion are a matter of faith for us… India’s nationhood is not one language, one religion, one enemy. It is the perennial universalism of 1.3 billion people who use more than 122 languages and 1,600 dialects in their everyday lives, practice 7 major religions… live under one system, one flag and one identity of being Bharatiya and have no enemies.”