Cracks in Congress visible after Pranab Mukherjee accepts RSS' invitation
After former President Pranab Mukherjee agreed to attend a convocation of RSS pracharaks on June 7, tensions are visible in the Congress. All eyes are set on what he might say. Many leaders feel the Congress patriarch's attendance will be bad for party optics, considering the continuous ideological battle between them. But RSS said it was Mukherjee's 'greatness' that he accepted the invite.
Understanding the controversy: Why the big deal
Pranab Da, who is seen as a secular leader, accepting an invitation from RSS was bound to raise eyebrows, considering the group has been accused of spreading communalism. Congress President Rahul Gandhi has attacked RSS and PM Narendra Modi in the same breath many times. Quite recently, he accused RSS of destroying all institutions and said the state of affairs reminded him of Pakistan.
M Veerappa Moily says Pranab Mukherjee 'can't afford to go'
Issuing a strong statement, Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said, "There's no such thing as platonic love of a Congressman with RSS. If he's ideologically dedicated to Congress, I don't think he can afford to go." CK Jaffer Sharief backed Moily, writing Mukherjee a letter and urging him to reconsider. "He can't ignore his background. He didn't take anyone into confidence," Sharief told ANI.
Notably, Sharief had backed Mohan Bhagwat's bid for presidency
Incidentally, in 2017, Sharief wrote to PM Narendra Modi backing RSS-chief Mohan Bhagwat's nomination for President. "There shouldn't be any doubt about his patriotism," he had said. Now, he wonders if RSS inviting Mukherjee means it agrees with his past-statements calling RSS 'anti-national' and 'unpatriotic'.
Nevertheless, Mukherjee's decision found a few takers in the Congress
Not everyone in Congress is upset with Mukherjee's decision. Spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said this isn't an "indication of his beliefs." "Judge him by what he says and his established beliefs in 50 years of political life." Sushil Kumar Shinde agreed. "There will be no change in his behavior by going there." Salman Khurshid asked the party to have faith in the 'wise' Mukherjee.
According to RSS, frequent meetings between Bhagwat and Mukherjee helped
Contrarily, RSS expressed elation at Mukherjee agreeing to address the Tritiya Varsh Varg at its Nagpur headquarters. A member claimed after Mukherjee left Rashtrapati Bhavan, he met Bhagwat several times; those meetings might have laid a foundation, he added. Reports suggest BJP leader Nitin Gadkari facilitated the meetings. "Why should eyebrows be raised? RSS isn't Pakistan's ISI, it's an organization of nationalists," Gadkari insisted.
So what does Mukherjee's acceptance actually mean?
There's speculation that Mukherjee, in accepting RSS' invite, is actually planning to speak on the "real sense" of nationalism, which will in all likelihood be a critique of the outfit's "exclusivist" view. Eventually, it all boils down to what he says at the gathering.
