Breaking his silence, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that ex-President Pranab Mukherjee had “every reason to feel a grievance that he was better qualified” than him for the post of Prime Minister.
Manmohan Singh said this at the launch of Pranab Mukherjee’s book ‘The Coalition Years’ on Friday. The Coalition Years 1996-2012, the third in his autobiography series. A fourth book on the Presidential years is in the works.
Breaking His Silence
“In 2004 when Sonia Ji chose me to become the prime minister, Pranab Ji was one of the most distinguished colleagues that I had. He had every reason to feel a grievance that he was better qualified than I was to become the prime minister, but he also knew that I have no choice in the matter,” the ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh said in front of the audience, including Sonia Gandhi.
“He had every reason to believe that he should be the Prime Minister, that didn’t happen. But that didn’t affect our relationship and that relationship of thick and abiding friendship will last, will last as long we both are living.
“We ran the government as a cohesive team of which Pranab Mukherjee was the most important member….I do not recall any matter, any serious issue on which we had differences of opinion. I invariably took note of the fact that he was one of the most seniormost members of our party…was my most seniormost colleague and together with Sharad Pawarji and Pranabji, I had the greatest regard and respect….Both of them were men of great caliber whose voice needs to be heard and whose views were respected,” Singh said.
Speaking before Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee said he was perhaps one of the only living Congressmen who had the opportunity to be in the Congress Working Committee “from 1978 onwards excepting a few years in between till 2012.” It was a rare distinction for any Congressmen. Talking about 2004, he said Congress providing the leadership to a coalition government was a major change in the Indian politics.
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Pranab Mukherjee wrote in his book that in the meeting in June, Sonia reminded him: “Pranabji, you are most eminently suited for the office but you should not forget the crucial role you are playing in the functioning of the government. Could you suggest a substitute?’” Pranab Mukherjee has a reason to be upset, more qualified for PM: Manmohan Singh
“The meeting ended,” Mukherjee writes, “and I returned with a vague impression that she might wish to consider Manmohan Singh as the UPA presidential nominee. I thought that if she selected Singh for the presidential office, she may choose me as the prime minister. I had heard a rumor that she had given this formulation serious thought while on a holiday in the Kaushambi Hills.”
“But nonetheless that was done and for 10 years very successfully, Dr. Manmohan Singh with the support of the coalition partners discharged that tremendous responsibility….”
CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, his CPI counterpart S Sudhakar Reddy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK leader Kanimozhi, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are also present in the book launch.
