Congress should rethink on party's face: Sharmistha Mukherjee on Rahul

Citing the last two Lok Sabha polls, Sharmistha Mukherjee said that if the Congress is continuously losing under the leadership of a particular person, it needs to rethink its strategy

The daughter of late former President Pranab Mukherjee, Sharmistha, on Monday, advised the Indian National Congress party to "take care" of the fact that it lost the last two Lok Sabha elections "under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi."

She said the Congress should rethink on choosing the face of the party. "...Congress needs to take care of this thing that, in 2014 and 2019, Rahul Gandhi lost in a bad manner…he was the face of Congress…if a party is losing continuously under the leadership of a particular leader, then it is important for the party to think about it," Sharmishtha, who is also an author, noted.

This is not the first time that the former Delhi Congress leader has made comments on Rahul Gandhi. Last month, she launched a book 'Pranab, My Father' on the birth anniversary of the former president on December 11. The book is based on her late father's diaries.

'Was wrong in opposing Baba's views on Rahul'

Prior to the event, Sharmishtha confided to the Business Standard that she was wrong in opposing her father's views on Rahul Gandhi.

"...Baba (Pranab Mukherjee) felt Rahul had lots of questions but shifted from one topic to another, and, he wrote, one wonders how much he absorbs…In 2013, Rahul trashed an ordinance publicly, which made Baba very angry. That night, he wrote in his diary that Rahul had the arrogance of his lineage without their political acumen. It shook my father's faith in Rahul," she said.

'I am a die-hard Congressperson'

Sharmishtha also noted that her father was of the view that "Rahul Gandhi needed to mature politically."

During the recent interaction, she also claimed that she is a die-hard Congressperson whether anyone believes it or not.

Notably, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 52 seats. It won 44 seats in the 2014 polls.