"Congress party future is simply nil...": Sharmistha Mukherjee on grand old party future

New Delhi: Months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, Sharmistha Mukherjee asserted that the future of the Congress party is "nil" adding that the grand old party needs a new face, new ideas as well as leadership.

"Congress party future is simply 'nil' as the situation suggests. Their own INDI alliance partner Mamata Banerjee is saying that they (Congress) won't be able to win even 40 seats... There is no future for Congress," Mukherjee told ANI on Friday.

She further added, "In my opinion, by the time Rahul Gandhi or the Gandhi family for that matter, remains the face of Congress, its time for a new face, new ideas and new leadership won't be sorted."

The Congress won 52 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, while it got 44 seats in the 2014 polls.

Sharmishtha Mukherjee wrote to Rahul Gandhi on Friday to flag "vicious and continuous trolling by your supporters" following the release of her new book and comments last week about his ability to lead the party into the Lok Sabha election.

In a two-page letter posted on X, Mukherjee said she had been subject to trolling, "sometimes using the nastiest language", and identified one social media user in particular - "Naveen Shahi, having an X handle of @Naveen_Kr_Shahi, who is followed by several senior Congress leaders..."

She further wrote that Shahi, "abused my father, Pranab Mukherjee and me in such vile language I feel nausea even to repeat it".

She said he also posted barbaric remarks of a sexual nature aimed at her father.

"You are talking about nyay (a reference to Mr Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'). As an ordinary citizen of India, I demand nyay from you as these vile abuses seem to have originated with someone having a formal, or informal, association with your organisation. I demand nyay as a woman, and whose father, has been subject (to) the most vile abuses having sexual connotations," she stated in a letter.

"To show you are serious about nyay, please take action against this person, Naveen Shahi, (and) all the others who reacted positively to his abuses, against your social media head, and your communication head, for allowing this kind of language and abuse," Mukherjee appealed.

"Show that your promise of nyay is not just an empty election slogan," she added.