Former President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, has lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's loyalists and targeted her brother Abhijit Mukherjee for defending the Congress. His comments came days after allegations that no meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) was convened in honor of his father days after his death.
Taking a jab from Rahul Gandhi's loyalists, Sharmistha questioned their views and cited her father's visit to the RSS headquarters during the 2018 Parliament session and Rahul Gandhi's controversial hug with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Rahul’s Bhakt-chelas who call my father ‘Sanghi’ for his RSS visit, I dare them to question their leader on why he hugged @narendramodi in parliament whom his mother called ‘maut ka saudagar’. By their convoluted logic, Rahul then should be seen as his accomplice,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
She further attacked the Congress leader’s supporters, stating, “All the best to @RahulGandhi to revive Congress with this bunch of vicious fools & sycophants! Now go & unleash your ‘Nafrat ki dukandars’ on me. I give a damn!”
Abhijeet Mukherjee defends Congress amid sister’s allegations
Against allegations of neglect following his father’s death in 2020, former Congress leader and Sharmistha’s brother Abhijeet Mukherjee has defended the party.
Responding to Sharmistha's comments, Abhijit highlighted the challenges posed by the Covid-19 restrictions after Pranab Mukherjee's death. “When my father died, it was Covid-19 time. There were a lot of restrictions in place, which is why people could not gather. Even Kejriwal’s administration did not allow many family members to visit,” Abhijit told ANI.
He also clarified that the Congress eventually corrected its course. “What she (Sharmistha) is referring to is that there was a missed proper obituary in a CWC meeting. But later on, they corrected this and did it regularly,” he added.
Sharmistha’s retort: A 'dented and painted' dig
Lashing out at her brother, Sharmistha lashed out at X, accusing him of trying to rejoin the Parliament for personal gain.
“Shame is on the person who, for some petty crumbs, wants to rejoin a party whose followers abuse his father day-in & day-out in the most vile manner. He is truly ‘dented-painted’. SICK!” she wrote.
Her remarks referred to Abhijit Mukherjee’s infamous “dented and painted” remarks during the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape protests that sparked widespread outrage.
Background on the controversy
The controversy reignited after Sharmistha alleged that the Congress failed to honor her father with a dedicated CWC meeting post his death in 2020. Abhijit Mukherjee’s defense of the Congress has further deepened the sibling rivalry, with Sharmistha continuing to question the party’s loyalty and conduct.
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