On Monday, 5th February, the daughter of former President of India, late Pranab Mukherjee, Sharmistha Mukherjee, urged the Congress party to look for an alternate in leadership if the party is facing repeated defeat under “one’s” leadership. Sharmistha Mukherjee was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival when she targeted Rahul Gandhi and his role as the top leader of the Congress Party.
Sharmistha Mukherjee pointed out that Congress faced massive defeats in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and during those general elections, Rahul Gandhi was the face of Congress for the Prime Minister’s post. She added that two Lok Sabha elections have passed and if the party is facing repeated defeat under a particular leader, the party should think about it. “Congress should think again who should be the party’s face,” Sharmistha added.
Sharmistha added that there is no doubt that Congress is the largest opposition party. However, the party leaders need to find a way to strengthen their position. She then pointed towards the need to incorporate democracy in the party, membership campaigns, and in-party elections for a better future of the party in the political scenario of the country. Furthermore, she hinted that there is a need for the contribution of ground-level and booth-level party members in the decision-making process, something that the late Pranab Mukherjee talked about in his diary.
“Freedom of speech does not only mean that you praise your leader. And the moment you criticise the party leadership, the entire ecosystem puts you in the dock. Is this freedom of expression?” Sharmistha added.
Sharmistha categorically expressed her dislike for the name “I.N.D.I.A. Bloc” and said she would prefer it to be called I.N.D.I. Alliance. She said, “When it was formed, I had posted on X that if it fails, what will be the headlines, ‘INDIA Breaks’. No political party should be synonymous with the country. This thought came to my mind.”
She added, “As far as leadership is concerned, there are many senior leaders in the alliance…they should sort it out themselves. But they need to resolve the issues like seat sharing, etc. I cannot answer whether this alliance will survive till the general elections.”
Sharmishta added that in democracy, there are different ideologies. She said, ” There might be differences between two groups on ideological grounds but that does not mean that one of them is wrong. Hence, there is a need for dialogue.”
She said when her father was active in politics, he was seen as someone who would bring everyone to the same table. He had the quality to put an end to hurdles in the house and bring everyone to discuss the matters at hand. “Democracy is not just about speaking your mind, but it is about listening to others as well,” Sharmistha Mukherjee added while emphasising the importance of dialogue.
