Former President Pratibha Patil’s tryst with controversy may not have ended with her tenure in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Breaking all norms of the high office she held, Patil has decided to cart away all gifts she received when she was the President, ostensibly for setting up a museum on her life and political career in Amravati in Maharashtra, which is her constituency. Her son Rajendra Singh Shekawat is now a Congress MLA from the constituency.
Legally, the President’s gifts belong to the government treasury. Reports claim that Patil’s office has sought the gifts as a ‘loan’ from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Sources said the permission was granted at the government level and the new President’s office has nothing to do with it. The museum will showcase the political and social life of Patil, depicting her journey from Amravati to the highest constitutional post.
The museum would display over 150 items shortlisted from the over 2,500 gifts that Patil received as President. The majority of them were received during her foreign visits. These include a gift from US President Barack Obama and a gold-plated miniature of the Golden Temple at Amritsar.
The museum will be maintained by Vidya Bharati Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, which runs schools, controlled by Patil’s son Rajendra Singh Shekawat. The museum has been built by the Sports Complex Authority with the collector’s office supervising the work. The collector’s office informed that the museum building was ready to be opened and was waiting for Patil to decide on the inauguration.