New Delhi: Condoling the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday described him as a “guide” for the Sangh and said he didn’t believe in political untouchability.
Mukherjee was an able administrator who kept national interest supreme, Bhagwat said in a joint statement along with RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi.
Mukherjee didn’t practice political untouchability and was respected by all parties, the statement said.
“He was a guide for Sangh and was affectionate towards the organisation and his passing away is irreparable loss to the RSS,” it added.
Mukherjee was attacked by the Congress itself in June 2018 for attending an event of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP.
But later, the Congress was all appreciation after Mukherjee in his speech emphasised that the soul of India is pluralism, tolerance and inclusion.
In his speech, Mukherjee had warned that any attempt to define India through “religion, hatred, dogmas and intolerance” will dilute our existence and said public discourses must be freed of all forms of violence.
Mukherjee’s message to hundreds of ‘pracharaks’ and top-brass of the RSS, which is often described as a Hindu right-wing organisation, was described as a ‘mirror of truth to the RSS’ by the Congress, whose several leaders had earlier been critical of his decision to attend the event here at the Sangh headquarters.
Mukherjee, 84, passed away in an army hospital here.
Would it be fair to say that the Rajya Sabha, where Shri Pranab Mukherjee spent most of his political career, is more conducive to friendships across party lines than the Lok Sabha. An old boys’ club, where a lot of useful work can get done through consensus. To aim for brute numbers in the RS to push legislation through is to diminish the institution. Although Smt Indira Gandhi was his mentor, he often expressed his admiration for Pandit Nehru. Both men respected the spirit of the Constitution. Not a saint, but he enriched Indian democracy.
I don’t know who Pranab Mukherjee was a guide to, but he himself was guided by sheer, unalloyed ambition. May his soul rest in peace