Former president Pranab Mukherjee recently attended RSS event and that created tremors in political circles across the country. Several analyst and political parties still analysing Pranab Mukherjee attending this event and his speech and interpreting it in their own way. In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena said RSS’ has an agenda in inviting former president and Congress veteran leader Pranab Mukherjee to their event and it would be revealed during the coming next year’s general election.

It wrote, former president Pranab Mukherjee could be the consensus candidate for the Prime Minister’s post if the BJP fails to garner a majority in the 2019 general elections. By inviting Pranab to their event, RSS was able to send the message across the country that, RSS or even BJP he is not against Congress or Congress men but it is only against Gandhi family dynasty politics, Shiva sena said. It is known to every one that, several parties in the country are against Modi’s autocratic ruling and they may oppose Modis’ Prime ministerial candidature. So, BJP may want to have someone who is capable and acceptable to all political parties as prime minister candidate. Pranab’s visit to the RSS event had evoked sharp responses, with several leaders of his party, including his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee and Congress’s top man Ahmed Patel, criticising this decision. But Shivasena slammed Congress for making a fool of itself by trying to stop Mukherjee’s visit.

Now the question is – “Can president of india again join politics after his tenure in office is over?”

Answer is – yes, they can. constitution is silent on this. But after working as president of India, so far no one has come back to active politics in India. Post of President is the top most post in the country. Former Presidents are hence treated with dignity and decorum. They are given very high level in the protocol of respect and reception.So, even though Indian Constitution doesn’t say anything directly on this, it has been a norm that after working as president of India President of India, to retain the honour for that post, they will not come back to active politics where criticizing others and getting criticized is daily affair .

It is very common to see governors, after the term in office is over, coming back to active politics and becoming Central ministers our chief ministers at the state. But, compared to governor post, the post of first citizen of the country is much bigger one and so far there is no precedent on former presidents coming back to active politics. It has to be reminded that, various commissions like Sarkaria and Poonch commission recommended even governor post to be given to people from non political background or at least to the people who are not in active politics in the recent years.

We will have to wait and see if there is any truth in this interpretation and also he Pranab Mukherjee changes the tradition for his ambition of becoming Prime Minister of India. But if he comes back to active politics the first criticism he will get is – he is spoiling the owner of the position of President of India for his personal ambitions.

-ZURAN

Pranab Mukherjee, former president of India attending RSS event led to a massive debate in the country. It led to debate because Pranab Mukherjee is a hard core Congress man and proponent of Nehruvian ideology and Congress is anti-RSS to the core.

Congress MP Ahmed Patel openly expressed his disappointment in his tweet – “I did not expect this from Pranab da!”. He also tagged the tweet of Sharmishta, daughter of Pranab and now congress spokes person, who also expressed her ire over the decision of her father.

Sharmistha earlier tweeted: “Hope CitiznMukherjee now realizes from today’s incident, how BJP dirty tricks department operates. Even RSS would not believe that you are going to endorse its views in your speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain and those will be circulated with fake statements,” she said in a series of tweets.

It seems, all staunch congress people are terribly disappointed with Pranab’s decision of attending RSS event.

Pranab Mukherjee book

“The Coalition Years” book, by 13th President of India Pranab Mukherjee, that was released couple of days back is creating sensation among political circles. The Coalition Years book explores the highs and lows that characterized the most tumultuous periods in India’s political history starting 1996 till 2014. His book is so candid and he explained several things that happened behind the screens during those years. Excerpts as below:

Why he did not become PM and why Manmohan became PM (2004):

Pranab explained it this way -‘Only in 2004 did I win a seat to the Lok Sabha. Second, though I was elected to the Lok Sabha, I did not know Hindi. And without knowing Hindi, nobody should venture to be the PM of India. My honest assessment at the time was that Manmohan was the best choice. Over time, he had understood administrative and political nuances. He had vast administrative experience and was well-versed in economic affairs.’

Why Sharad Pawar raked up Sonia’s “Italian origin” in 1999:

Mukherjee touched upon the attack orchestrated by Pawar over Sonia’s “Italian origin” in a meeting of the Congress working committee in 1999. “In my opinion, Pawar, as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, expected the party to request him, instead of Sonia Gandhi, to stake claim to form the government. After Sonia’s elevation as the Congress president, she consulted P Shiv Shankar on all important issues rather than Pawar. This sense of alienation and disenchantment may have been responsible for his statements on Sonia’s foreign origin, and his subsequent exit from the party in 1999,” Mukherjee wrote.

1998: How did Sitaram Kesri feel when he had to vacate the party post for Sonia Gandhi:

“On 5 March, 1998, Sitaram Kesri convened the meeting of CWC where Jitendra Prasad, Sharad Pawar, and Ghulam Nabi Azad urged Kesri to take initiative to invite Sonia Gandhi to take charge of the party. Kesri refused to accept the suggestion and accused some leaders, including Mukherjee, of hatching a conspiracy against him. He then left the meeting.” Pranab revealed

On meeting Bal Thackeray despite Sonia’s disapproval (2012):

“I took a decision to meet Thackeray despite Sonia Gandhi’s disapproval because I felt that the man who had broken away from his traditional coalition partner to support my candidature, should not feel humiliated,” Mr. Mukherjee said in his book. With this incident he revealed he followed his heart at times rather than blindly following Sonia.

On bouncing back of Congress in future:

Being a staunch congress man, it is expected of him. Pranab remarked, “Although Sonia and Manmohan hinted the situation was critical, Congress leaders, who met me, assessed that they would get 160-170 seats and gave BJP around 180. Surprisingly, Piyush Goyal told me that BJP was not going to get less than 260 and he was nearest to the mark.” Also, he added Don’t write off Congress…the 132-year old party will bounce back.”

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday probably gave enough hints that he may not be in the race for another term in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

“I have exactly two months to go. July 25, a new President will assume office. I am sending back officials who have worked with me, back to their ministries and departments. One has gone to the Commerce Ministry, two to the Ministry of External Affairs,” he said.

The President was speaking at a farewell tea organised for the media by President’s Secretary Omita Paul for his Press Secretary Venu Rajamony, a career diplomat who has been appointed the Ambassador to The Netherlands. Rajamony will assume his new office in The Hague early next month.

Mukherjee’s remarks assume significance in the context of the ongoing hectic political activities centred around a candidate for the President’s election slated in July. The Congress-led Opposition has given enough indications that it will not be averse to a second term for Mukherjee if the government is acceptable to it. But the ruling dispensation has not given any hints about who it has in mind for the top post.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is hosting a lunch for Opposition leaders here on Friday as part of efforts to arrive at a consensus over the Opposition candidate. Trinamool Congress, whose leader Mamata Banerjee has also been invited for the lunch and has met Gandhi recently, is known to be okay with another term for Mukherjee.

In his remarks, Mukherjee said after a hectic political life he had been wondering whether he would fit into the President’s post where the incumbent has to work under Constitutional rules.

In her speech, Paul described Rajamony as an excellent communicator and complimented him for a good job of putting across the President and Rashtrapati Bhavan activities to the people through the media.

Senior journalist Sachidananda Murthy praised Rajamony’s role in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, saying he broke new grounds. Rajamony had also contributed to making the Rashtrapati Bhavan library one of the best in the city.

Thanking the President for the opportunity provided to him, Rajamony said he had worked with Mukherjee for two years in the Finance Ministry before his election as President and nearly five years in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and that had given him wonderful insight into Mukherjee as a public functionary, who the outside world called a “walking encylopedia”.