Didn't expect this from Pranab da!: Congress' Ahmed Patel on former Prez Mukherjee's RSS visit

Patel, who is known to be a close aid to United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, tweeted, "I did not expect this from Pranab da !"

Mukherjee's acceptance of the RSS invite has triggered a massive row with several Congress leaders including the former President's daughter Sharmistha expressing dismay in public.

Mukherjee's daughter and Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee disagreed with the former President's decision of joining the event.

"Hope @CitiznMukherjee now realises from todays’ incident, how BJP dirty tricks dept operates. Even RSS wouldn’t believe that u r going 2 endorse its views in ur speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain & those will be circulated with fake statements. 1/2," Pranab Mukherjee's daughter tweeted.

".@CitiznMukherjee By going 2 Nagpur, u r giving BJP/RSS full handle 2 plant false stories, spread falls rumours as 2day & making it somewhat believable. And this is just d beginning! 2/2," she said.

Though several Congress leaders have reacted to the decision of Mukherjee, it is clear that the latter is eyeing a role independent of his political past since 1969, when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the support of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

According to media reports, some Congress leaders have urged him to reconsider his decision to attend a function of the saffron outfit which has always been denounced as a communal force by Mukherjee's party and allegedly the former President himself.

Reacting to the row, Mukherjee had said he will speak only at the event, scheduled to be held on Thursday.

Mukherjee will attend the RSS event in Nagpur at 7 pm on Thursday. 

The former President is reportedly going to be the chief guest at the valedictory function of the ‘Tritiya Varsh Varg’ or ‘third-year course’ of the RSS recruits on June 7. He will address the new recruits too, said reports.