The Central government has approved land at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, within the Rajghat complex in Delhi, for a memorial dedicated to former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away in August 2020.

Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of the late President, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this "gracious" and "unexpected" decision. On Tuesday, Sharmistha shared a letter dated January 1 from the Land and Development Office (L&DO), informing her about the approval for the memorial's location.

The site will be integrated into the Rashtriya Smriti complex, which is part of the Rajghat area. After meeting the Prime Minister to express her thanks, Sharmistha remarked that this gesture reflected the respect her father had always valued. "It's especially meaningful because we didn't request it. Baba often said that state honours should not be asked for but should be given. I am truly touched that PM Modi chose to honour Baba’s memory in this way," she said.

Pranab Mukherjee, who served as India’s 13th President from 2012 to 2017, had a distinguished political career spanning over five decades. As a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he held important ministerial roles, including that of Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012, before becoming President. He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2019.

While Sharmistha expressed her appreciation for the memorial decision, she previously shared her disappointment over the Congress party’s response to her father's passing. She pointed out that despite Mukherjee’s long-standing association with the party, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) did not convene a formal condolence meeting following his death. She also referenced her father’s role in drafting a condolence message when former President KR Narayanan passed away, highlighting the discrepancy in response to her father's passing.