Pranab Mukherjee Attending RSS Event in Nagpur: The Thin Line Between Responsibility, Freedom of Choice, And Putting Aside Ideology

Former President Pranab Mukherjee is set to address an event of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur this evening. The whole idea of someone who has been a senior Congressman attending an event of the Sangh has created ruffles in the political corridors. While the Congress leaders are miffed, the Bharatiya Janata Party is calling it Pranab da's freedom to make his choices.

Even as Pranab Mukherjee remains tight-lipped about what he's really going to say at the event, the whole debate about freedom of choice and intolerance is back on the social media. Is Pranab da wrong in accepting the RSS's invite as is being said by many Congress leaders? There is a thin line between freedom of choice, responsibility and keeping your own ideology aside. It seems Pranab da has chosen the former. Is that unholy? Certainly not.

Besides being a Congress minister, Pranab Mukherjee has been the President of India. In that capacity, he can be invited to any event across the world irrespective of what his ideology may be. Pranab da holds a huge responsibility of accepting invites with grace in this capacity. Yes, the choice at the end is his. By accepting the invite to RSS event, he has made it clear that he will do what he wishes to.

In fact, Pranab Mukherjee is only following the league of the great late former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who has also attended an RSS event in the past. However, this event comes at a time when the 'fake news' plague has taken over social media.

The latest victim of this has been Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee. As Pranab Mukherjee landed in Nagpur yesterday, rumours of Sharmistha Mukherjee joining the BJP took over the social media. While Sharmistha dismissed all rumours, she also warned her father against more such "fake news" being circulated in the future. "The speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain & those will be circulated with fake statements," she said.

This is where another responsibility lies on Pranab da - shutting the fake news mongers down. As historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha puts it, "Pranab Mukherjee is free to accept or reject any invitation he gets. However, in this age of fake news he should make the full and authorised text of his lecture to RSS cadres at Nagpur available to the public as soon as it is delivered."

While questioning the former President's decision to attend the RSS event may be "intolerance" and ideally in bad taste, all eyes are now on what Pranab Mukherjee has to say at the RSS event. Let's wait and watch. Follow the Live updates of the event here.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.) 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2018 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).