Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has written a letter to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi complaining that both she and her late father have been subjected to sustained trolling by Mr. Gandhi’s supporters on social media after she wrote a book based on her father’s memoirs.
In a letter posted on X, formerly Twitter, Ms. Mukherjee said she had been subject to vicious trolling, “sometimes using the nastiest language.” She also identified one social media user in particular, who she adds is “followed by several senior Congress leaders...”
The user, she wrote, “abused my father, Pranab Mukherjee and me in such vile language I feel nausea even to repeat it.”
“Nafrat ke Bazaar me Mohabbat ki Dukan [shop of love in the market of hatred] also seems to fall on deaf ears of your own followers as they unleash all their ‘nafrat‘ on anyone daring to criticise you,” Ms. Mukherjee said in the letter.
She demanded Mr. Gandhi to take action against the particular twitter handle. Her letter also mentioned that the recently published book contained some uncomplimentary observations regarding Mr. Gandhi as recalled in her fathers’ diaries.
A few days ago, on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literary Fest, Ms. Mukherjee had expressed doubts regarding Mr. Gandhi’s ability to lead Congress. “Under your [Mr. Gandhi’s] leadership and with you being the face of the campaign, the Congress faced disastrous loss in two Lok Sabha elections with a third one hovering around the corner. While expressing my faith in Congress [I’m a die-hard Congressperson whether you believe it or not] and agreeing that it’s still the main Opposition and has a strong national presence, the time has come perhaps to look beyond Gandhi-Nehru family for leadership and being the face of the Congress,” the former spokesperson of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee said.
