Pranab Mukherjee's daughter rubbishes 'rumours' of joining BJP

Congress leader Sharmishtha Mukherjee, who is the daughter of former president Pranab Mukherjee, today dismissed "rumours" about her joining the BJP, saying she would rather leave politics than quit the Congress.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken also rejected such suggestions saying Mukherjee is a "devoted"Congress person.

Sharmishtha Mukherjee, who is out of the city on a holiday, took to Twitter to swiftly deny the rumours, which appeared amid a row over her father Pranab Mukherjee accepting an invite to address an RSS event in Nagpur tomorrow.

She also expressed disapproval of her father's decision saying he was giving a handle to the RSS and the BJP to plant false stories as "speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain".

Rubbishing rumours about quitting Congress, she said on Twitter: "In the mountains enjoying a beautiful sunset, & suddenly this news that I'm supposedly joining BJP hits like a torpedo! Can't there be some peace & sanity in this world? I joined politics because I believe in @INCIndia Wud rather leave politics than leave Congress," she tweeted.

Maken also spoke to her to clarify the matter.

"In reply to certain rumors-Just spoke to @Sharmistha_GK , who is out of Delhi- She is a devoted Congress Person and firmly believes in the ideology of @INCIndia . She told me, that she is in politics, just because of her firm faith in the ideology of the Congress Party," he wrote on Twitter.

Mukherjee, who is president of Mahila Congress as well as incharge of the communication department of Delhi unit, had joined the party in 2014.

She had also contested Delhi Assembly elections from Greater Kailash seat in 2015 and lost to AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj.

On the decision by her father, a Congress veteran, to address RSS which has been criticised by a large section of party leaders, she said:"Hope Pranab Mukherjee now realises from todays' incident, how BJP dirty tricks department operates. Even RSS wouldn't believe that you are going to endorse its views in your speech. But the speech will be forgotten, visuals will remain and those will be circulated with fake statements.

"By going to Nagpur, you are giving BJP/RSS full handle to plant false stories, spread falls rumours as today and making it somewhat believable. And this is just the beginning!," she tweeted.

Mukherjee would be visiting the RSS headquarters tomorrow and would address a function there.