My Father Wanted To Confer Bharat Ratna On Manmohan Singh: Sharmistha Mukherjee
Former Congress politician Sharmistha Mukherjee said on Friday that her late father, former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, during his tenure as the President, wanted to confer the Bharat Ratna on Manmohan Singh.
Speaking to BW Businessworld ahead of the launch of her book, titled, 'Pranab, My Father,' Mukherjee said that his father told the Cabinet Secretary to talk to Pulok Chatterji, the then principal secretary to Singh, to ascertain views of the then UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi regarding conferring the highest civil honour on Singh.
"Unfortunately, there are no references in my father's diary beyond this point. It is unclear whether Chatterjee told Sonia Gandhi this or not. It is difficult to answer the sequence of events and what transpired," said Mukherjee.
She added that her father credited Singh for handling the Indian economy during the global recession of 2008 as well as for steering the 1991 Economic Reforms.
Coming close to becoming prime minister
In her book, Mukherjee mentions several occasions when Pranab Mukherjee came close to becoming the prime minister.
She recalled her father's analysis of being dropped from Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet due to Gandhi's realisation of Mukherjee as a "tough nut" and somebody who would not blindly toe the line.
"Anybody who was in contact with my father knew that he had a very strong mind combined with political knowledge, understanding and experience of governance. It is difficult for such a person to follow anybody's line," Mukherjee said.
She reckoned that this personality trait of her father could be one of the reasons for the complete lack of trust on the part of Sonia Gandhi.
Relationship with Gandhis
Describing her father's relationship with the Gandhis, she said that Indira Gandhi was Mukherjee's mentor.
"If there was one person to whom my father's loyalty lied, it was Indira Gandhi. It began and ended with her. Post Indira Gandhi's death, he served the Congress party and not any individual," she added.
When asked about the Congress presidential election of the late 90s and her father supporting Sonia Gandhi for the position, she said that Mukherjee believed that '10 Janpath' after Rajiv Gandhi's death would remain a parallel source of power.
"He felt that it was better to channel that authority along with responsibility and accountability, and that is why he felt that Sonia Gandhi should be made the Congress President," she said.
In her book, she mentions that Mukherjee held the coterie around Rajiv Gandhi responsible for his strained relationship with him. However, she added that there was no such coterie around Sonia Gandhi.
"My father feared that due to lack of political experience, Sonia Gandhi might become dependent on a coterie as her husband did. However, later, he mentioned that Sonia listens to everybody but does not follow anybody blindly. So, there was no such coterie around her," she said.
Final nail in the coffin
On Rahul Gandhi's leadership and political acumen, Mukherjee recalled discussing the reasons for the Congress party's dismal performance with her father in the 2014 elections.
"My father said that one of the reasons and the final nail in the coffin for the Congress party was Rahul Gandhi's tearing of the ordinance in September 2013," she said.
Chemistry with Narendra Modi
The book delves deep into the chemistry between Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mukherjee said that her father saw Modi as a professional politician and felt that he was the only prime minister after Indira Gandhi, who had the ability to feel the pulse of the people of India. She added that he saw Modi having a very professional approach to statecraft.
However, in the book, Mukherjee mentions that on the day of the BJP winning the parliamentary elections in 2014, Pranab Mukherjee raised questions about the fate of social cohesion in the country.
"In his diaries, he was assured of the strength and stability of the government but expressed concerns about social cohesion," she said.
No political ambitions
On some voices within the Congress questioning the book's timing and her possibly joining a new party, Mukherjee said that the release coincides with my father's birth anniversary (11th December) and that she is no longer interested in politics.
"I have quit politics. I am just not interested in getting any Rajya Sabha seat, cabinet position or any position within any political party. I'm very clear about it. That is not my path to Nirvana," she said.
