Leaders of the BJP and RSS have welcomed the visit of former president Pranab Mukherjee to the RSS's headquarters in Nagpur on Thursday and dismissed criticism against it. However, the RSS sought to distance itself from media reports that claim it may support Mukherjee as a consensus candidate for prime minister in case no political formation got a majority in the next Lok Sabha polls.
Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said Mukherjee's RSS visit would change the perception about the saffron outfit in some quarters.
Speaking to THE WEEK, Bhamre argued, “RSS is dedicated to the service of the nation. Pranab da is an intelligent man. He knows what is right and what is wrong. I don’t understand why there was so much criticism in the first place against his visit to the RSS headquarters.” Bhamre declared Mukherjee is “the right man from the wrong party [Congress]”.
When asked if there is a chance of Mukherjee joining the BJP, Bhamre said, “Let us not get into speculation. He is a former president. It is not right on both our parts to ask or answer such a question. He is a respected leader with so many years of political experience.”
Taking part in the concluding ceremony of the RSS’s Sangh Shiksha Varg in Nagpur, Mukherjee said, “The construct of Indian nationalism is constitutional patriotism, which consists of an appreciation of our inherited and shared diversity. The soul of India resides in pluralism and tolerance.” Mukherjee, who quoted India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, mentioned the contributions of the Congress, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi to the idea of the modern Indian state.
In the past few days, some Congress leaders had criticised Mukherjee for attending the RSS event. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma tweeted, “The images of Pranab da at the RSS headquarters have anguished millions of Congress workers and all those who believe in pluralism, diversity and the foundational values of the Indian republic.”
All these statements from Congress leaders sound funny, said Jishnu Debbarma, Tripura’s deputy chief minister. Debbarma told THE WEEK, “Pranab da is free to go and speak where he wants to. All these people who speak about freedom of speech were preventing him from attending the event. RSS is a peaceful cultural organisation. People know the good things that the RSS does. It doesn’t need the certificate of the Congress.”
RSS’s Kerala unit chief P. Gopalan Kutty Master said to THE WEEK that Mukherjee understands Indian culture better than other Congress leaders. “The RSS can invite whoever it wants to invite. In the past, we have even invited people who vehemently oppose us to our functions. Only the RSS will do it,” he said.
Many non-BJP leaders have attended the functions of the RSS. These include Mahatma Gandhi, former president Zakir Hussain and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Other than politicians, people like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Ratan Tata have attended the functions of the RSS.
Interestingly, there are reports doing the rounds on how the RSS is considering the possibility of Mukherjee as a consensus prime ministerial candidate, with the BJP’s support, just in case the BJP falls short of the magic figure (272) in the 2019 general elections. “I will not speak on this issue now,” said Manmohan Vaidya, RSS’s publicity chief, to THE WEEK.
The Constitution doesn’t prevent a former president from becoming prime minister, though such an eventuality has yet to come about.