In his book, Pranab Mukherjee writes that some party members believed that if he had become PM in 2004, the Congress wouldn’t have performed poorly in 2014 elections.
New Delhi| Former President of India Late Pranab Mukherjee seems to have taken parting shots at the Congress leadership in his memoir. Pranab Mukherjee in the memoir said that after he became President, the Congress deviated from the political direction. Mukherjee has also said that some party members believed that if he had become the Prime Minister in 2004, there would Congress wouldn’t have to face a crushing defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Pranab Mukherjee had written his memoir ‘The Presidential Years’ before his death. This book, published by Rupa Publications, will be available to readers from January 2021. He died on July 31 at the age of 84 due to health complications after a coronavirus infection. In the book, his reference to Congress is coming to the fore when the party is going through internal turmoil.
‘If I had become the Prime Minister, the Congress would not have performed poorly in 2014’
In his book, Mukherjee writes, “Some party members believed that if he had become the Prime Minister in 2004, the Congress would not have lost a position in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.” He further writes that he does not agree with this opinion. “I maintain that the party leadership lost political direction after I became President. If Sonia Gandhi was unable to handle the affairs of the party, then Manmohan Singh’s long absence from the House put an end to any personal contact with MPs.”
‘Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was busy in saving coalition’
The former president wrote, “I believe that the moral right to rule lies with the Prime Minister. The entire governance system of the country is a reflection of the functioning of the Prime Minister and his administration. Dr. Singh was busy protecting the coalition which had an impact on governance, while Narendra Modi in his first term seemed to be adopting a totalitarian style of governance which was reflected through strong relations between the government, legislature and judiciary.”
This book sheds light on Pranab Mukherjee’s long journey from childhood to being president in a village in West Bengal. Rupa Publications announced on Friday that Mukherjee’s memoir ‘The Presidential Years’ will be released globally in January 2021.
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