Chidambaram, the former Finance Minister, had welcomed the AAP victory in Delhi polls, saying AAP won, bluff and bluster lost.

Senior Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee, a day after the Congress put up a miserable performance in the Delhi Assembly election, asked if the party should shut shop if it had decided that others will take on the BJP across States.

Replying to a tweet by P. Chidambaram who welcomed the AAP win as “defeat of bluff and bluster”, Ms. Mukherjee asked “With due respect sir, just want to know - has @INCIndia outsourced the task of defeating BJP to State parties? If not, then why r we gloating over AAP victory rather than being concerned abt our drubbing? And if ‘yes’, then we (PCCs) might as well close shop! (sic)”

The former Finance Minister had tweeted saying “AAP won, bluff and bluster lost. The people of Delhi, who are from all parts of India, have defeated the polarising, divisive and dangerous agenda of the BJP. I salute the people of Delhi who have set an example to other states that will hold their elections in 2021 and 2022.”

Ms. Mukherjee has been vocal since the party defeat on Tuesday, saying that the time for introspection was over and it was time for action.

“BJP playing divisive politics, Kejriwal playing ‘smart politics’ and what r we doing? Can we honestly say that we’ve done all to put our house in order?” Ms. Mukherjee asked. She added that the Congress was busy capturing Congress whereas other parties are capturing India. “If we are to survive, time to come out of exalted echo chambers!,” Ms. Mukherjee said.

Ms. Mukherjee is the national spokesperson of the AICC and president, Delhi Mahila Congress. She did not contest in the recently concluded poll.