Congress should have opted for fresh mandate, says its candidate Sharmistha Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, 21/01/2015 : Sharmishta Mukherjee, President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter and Congress candidate from Greater Kailash, after filing her nomination papers for upcoming Assembly elections at Jam Nagar House, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Jan 21, 2015. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

The Congress should have opted for fresh elections in the face of corruption scandals, party leader Sharmistha Mukherjee said on Saturday.

Ms. Mukherjee, who is President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter and the Congress' candidate from Greater Kailash for the upcoming Assembly elections, was speaking at a debate hosted by residents of GK-II.

When asked by an audience member about the graft allegations during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's tenure, Ms. Mukherjee said: "Most of the corruption charges were faced by the coalition partners."

She added: "The Congress should have called for a fresh mandate. That was our mistake."

Ms. Mukherjee said the Congress had never obstructed the law from taking its course. Senior leaders had been put behind bars, she said, referring to former Telecom Minister A. Raja being jailed during the investigation of the 2G scam.