Abhijit Mukherjee counters sister, says Covid-19 curbs in place when Pranab died

Sharmistha Mukherjee recalled that when her father passed away, the Congress Working Committee did not hold a condolence meeting

NEW DELHI: Abhijit Mukherjee, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee, on Monday responded to his sister Sharmistha Mukherjee’s criticism of the Congress party, saying restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic prevented gatherings, including a rally planned by Congress, at the time of their father’s death in August 2020.

Abhijit Mukherjee (ANI/Videograb)

“When my father died, it was the time of Covid. There were many restrictions, so people could not gather. Kejriwal’s administration did not allow any family member to meet him. Only 20 people from family and friends were present. Congress also wanted to hold a rally but could not do so. However, PM and Rahul Gandhi came,” he told news agency PTI.

Sharmistha Mukherjee has cited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s proposal for a memorial for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi, and said that when her father passed away, the Congress Working Committee did not hold a condolence meeting.

In a post on X, she said, “A senior Congress leader told me there is no tradition of calling a condolence meeting for former Presidents of India. This argument is completely baseless. I learned from my father’s diaries that the CWC held a condolence meeting on the demise of former President K.R. Narayanan, and my father himself drafted the condolence message.”

She also referred to comments from former Congress leader CR Kesavan, who criticised the party for neglecting leaders who were not part of the Gandhi family. She said the Congress did not build a memorial in Delhi for former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.