"Whatever I have to say, I will say in Nagpur", says Pranab Mukherjee

Amid the raging debate over Pranab Mukherjee's attending an RSS event, the former president has, in a veiled response, said that all queries will be answered once he speaks in Nagpur, where the event is scheduled to be held.

"Whatever I have to say, I will say in Nagpur. I have received several letters and phone calls but I haven't responded to anyone yet," Mukherjee was quoted as saying by Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika.

Senior Congress leader C K Jaffer Sharief had earlier this week written a letter to Pranab Mukherjee requesting him to 'reconsider and avoid visiting' the RSS headquarters.

Congress leader P Chidambaram said that, 'now that he has accepted invitation there is no point debating why he accepted it.'

'More important thing to say is, sir you have accepted invitation, please go there and tell them what is wrong with their ideology,' the former Finance Minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the former president's "decision to attend the function organized by the communal outfit has come as a rude shock to the secular minds in this country".
"I have been associated with him for many years. I am very concerned and surprised by his decision. The RSS is always trying to divide the society," the Opposition leader in Kerala Legislative Assembly told reporters.

Meanwhile, the RSS hailed the former President's greatness for accepting their invitation to address their workers in Nagpur.

"This isn't surprising for those who know and understand the Sangh, because RSS has always invited prominent people of the society in its programmes. This time, we invited Dr Pranab Mukherjee and it's his greatness that he has accepted our invitation," read a statement from the RSS.

Mukherjee, who has been a Congress veteran, will be the chief guest at the valedictory function of Sangh Shiksha Varg - a training camp for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteers - at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, scheduled on June 7.