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Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has revealed that former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee once surprised her by suggesting that it might be time for a change in the top leadership, reinforcing perceptions that he had long aspired to become prime minister.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on Tuesday, Sonia recalled a conversation with Mukherjee in 2010, when he was serving as finance minister.
She said former prime minister Manmohan Singh and she had an “unwritten division of responsibilities” that worked smoothly, with Singh handling the government and she managing the party.
Sonia wrote that a central group used to meet the prime minister every week to ensure coordination between the government and the Congress party. Mukherjee was among its members, alongside Arjun Singh, AK Antony and Ahmed Patel.
She recalled that Mukherjee sometimes stayed behind after meetings to talk to her.
According to Sonia, Mukherjee had serious differences with then Finance Minister P Chidambaram. During a meeting in 2010, after expressing his frustration, he suggested that perhaps it was time for a change in the top leadership.
Sonia said she interpreted the remark as an indication of Mukherjee’s long-held ambition to become prime minister. She politely avoided the subject and changed the conversation.
She added that although Mukherjee might have been disappointed, he never showed any resentment towards her.
In 2012, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) nominated Mukherjee for the presidency, and he was subsequently elected India’s president.
Sonia also recalled frequently visiting him for conversations with the seasoned and knowledgeable politician.
Pranab Mukherjee died in New Delhi on August 31, 2020, at the age of 84.