Congress shouldn’t behave like ‘BJP trolls’: Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 11

The Congress needs to introspect on whether it is actually practising what it preaches, former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha said here on Monday, as she expressed disappointment over adverse reactions from a section of party leaders on her book.

Accusing the Congress “social media ecosystem” of behaving like BJP trolls on certain portions of the book - "Pranab My Father, A Daughter Remembers", she said: “It pains me to see that the Congress, which is an upholder of freedom of speech, to react like this. This whole reaction on the book shows that the Congress should introspect and see whether they are actually upholding those values or are only paying lip service to it.”

Sharmistha was speaking at an interactive session with former diplomat Pavan K Varma on the launch of her book in New Delhi.

Notably, the book has some chapters critical of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The book has revealed that Pranab had concerns about former Congress president Rahul's ability to lead the party.

“The Congress ecosystem that is its social media, I am sorry to say it behaved exactly like BJP trolls. Their (Congress) leaders talk about 'vichardhara’ (ideology) that is encouraging freedom of expression, but now do they want to control what a person writes in a diary and what a man discusses with his daughter? When I used my freedom of speech to criticise their leader (Rahul Gandhi), I was treated badly,” the Kathak danseuse said when asked by Varma on reactions from the Congress on the book.

On another question regarding removal of a plaque commemorating Veer Savarkar's incarceration at Freedom Fighters' Memorial at Andaman and Nicobar’s Cellular Jail by then Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar in 2004, Sharmistha said her father had warned Sonia Gandhi that it would have disastrous consequences.

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