The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government has informed former President Pranab Mukherjee’s family about its decision to establish a memorial in his honour within the Rashtriya Smriti complex in Delhi, reported The Indian Express.

Mukherjee, a lifelong Congress leader, passed away on August 31, 2020. He was 84.

Mukherjee’s daughter, Sharmistha, told the newspaper that she received a letter from the government about the memorial for her father.

“The letter came to me on January 1,” she said. “So it was really the best New Year gift I could have got. My heart is full and I am very, very happy. I want to express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this decision.”

“The Competent Authority has approved the earmarking of a designated site within the Rashtriya Smriti complex [a part of the Rajghat precinct] for erecting a Samadhi of Late Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India,” read the letter, issued by the Land and Department Office of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Sharmistha thanked Modi for the decision during a meeting on Tuesday.

“It’s more cherished considering that we didn’t ask for it,” she wrote on X. “Immensely touched by this unexpected but truly gracious gesture by PM… Baba [Pranab Mukherjee] used to say that State honours shouldn’t be asked for, it should be offered.”

“It doesn’t affect baba where he is now – beyond applaud or criticism,” she added. “But for his daughter, words are not sufficient to express my joy.”

The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal serves as a common memorial site for former presidents and prime ministers, including former BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In 2019, the government awarded the Bharat Ratna to Mukherjee. Last year, the same honour was conferred on former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, another lifelong Congress leader.

The government’s decision comes amidst a controversy over a memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died on December 26. He was cremated with full state honours on December 28.

On December 28, the Congress alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government had “totally insulted” Singh by cremating his body at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat instead of a designated spot that could serve as a memorial to him.

The Centre responded saying that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Singh’s family about plans to allocate space for a memorial.

While three potential sites – Ekta Sthal, Vijay Ghat and Rashtriya Smriti Sthal – have been identified, neither has yet been confirmed as the site of Singh’s memorial, The Indian Express reported citing unidentified sources.