Revealed: Why Pranab Mukherjee was ‘disappointed’ with Rahul Gandhi

The late Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee once described Rahul Gandhi as “very courteous” and “full of questions” but “yet to mature politically”. His remarks have been disclosed by his daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee in her new book Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers. From disliking Rahul Gandhi’s “frequent disappearing acts” to his belief that Sonia Gandhi would pick Manmohan Singh over him for the prime ministerial job given their “close relationship”, the book, reportedly based on the diary entries of the former President, gives an insight into the mind of the veteran politician. What has the book revealed about Pranab Mukherjee’s views about the Gandhis? Let’s find out. On Rahul Gandhi According to the book, Mukherjee was highly displeased after Rahul Gandhi – the then Congress vice-president – tore up a proposed ordinance by the UPA government in 2013, which would have overturned a Supreme Court verdict in favour of immediate disqualification of a legislator convicted in a criminal offence. Sharmistha claims in the book that her father believed this incident was the “final nail in the coffin” for the Congress and one of the reasons for its drubbing in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. “Pranab himself was against the ordinance… in principle, he agreed with Rahul. But he was aghast at the manner in which Rahul acted…’Who does he (Rahul) think he is? He is not a member of the Cabinet. Who is he to publicly trash a decision of Cabinet? The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) is abroad…What right does he have to humiliate the PM like this?’” she wrote in her book recalling her conversation with Mukherjee, according to Indian Express. Pranab Mukherjee later wrote in his diary that night, as per his daughter, “‘Rahul Gandhi gate-crashed a press conference by Ajay Maken and described the decision of Cabinet as ‘nonsense’. This is totally uncalled for. He has all the arrogance of his Gandhi–Nehru lineage without their political acumen…’” Speaking to NDTV about her book, Sharmistha, who unsuccessfully fought the Delhi Assembly elections in 2015 on a Congress ticket, said that her father was “aghast at the manner of Rahul’s protest”. “I think baba’s faith in Rahul Gandhi started wavering from then." The Congress veteran was also “disappointed” with the Gandhi scion’s “frequent disappearing acts” as the senior Mukherjee believed serious politics was “a 24×7, 365-day job” and Rahul’s “frequent breaks” were “causing him to lose the perception battle”. Sharmishtha, who has retired from active politics, noted another incident involving the Wayanad MP in her book. “Rahul Gandhi came to see baba while he was walking in the Mughal Gardens in the morning. He disliked being disturbed while walking or doing puja. But still, he met him. Later, I came to know that Rahul Gandhi was supposed to meet him in the evening,” she told India Today.  “When I asked my father, he commented sardonically, ‘If Rahul’s office can’t differentiate between ‘AM’ and ‘PM’, how do they hope to run the PMO one day?” the author wrote in her book.

#WATCH | Gurugram: Author and Daughter of the Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, Sharmistha Mukherjee says, "In the morning one day Rahul Gandhi came to meet him(Pranab Mukherjee)...as it turned out that Rahul was actually supposed to meet him in the evening...when I… pic.twitter.com/Pl0v26tnhl

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According to Sharmistha, Rahul visited her father after Congress’s “disastrous defeat” in the 2014 general elections, “surprising” the veteran leader by expressing his views on the party’s performance “in a most detached way, from a distance as an outsider as if he was not the face of the campaign”. “‘Perhaps his distance from the party and a lack of killer instinct could be reasons for his failure to enthuse the party workers to fight the election which BJP got from Narendra Modi”’, she quoted her father as saying, as per Indian Express. Sharmishtha further mentioned that although her father was “critical of Rahul and seemed to have lost faith in his ability to revive the Congress”, he would have “appreciated Rahul’s dedication, tenacity, and the outreach during the Bharat Jodo Yatra”, NDTV reported. On other Gandhis Sharmishtha also touched upon her father’s interactions with the other Gandhis. In his illustrious career spanning decades, Pranab Mukherjee had worked with several PMs and leaders of the Gandhi family, including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul. The book pointed out that Pranab Mukherjee wanted to be vice-president in 2002, however, Sonia Gandhi and the Left parties were against this. “Communists vetoed my candidature… I’m feeling bad. She [Sonia Gandhi] will understand the real character of Communists when they will drop her like hot potato..,” Hindustan Times (HT) cited the book as saying. [caption id=“attachment_13475512” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pranab Mukherjee knew Sonia Gandhi would not pick him for the PM post in 2004. PTI File Photo[/caption] Pranab Mukherjee was also upset with Sonia Gandhi over her refusal to allow Narasimha Rao’s body at the party office after he died in 2004 for people to pay their last respects. After the Congress’ victory in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, Pranab Mukherjee harboured dreams for the PM post. However, he did not expect Sonia Gandhi to choose him. When Sharmistha asked him if he would be the next PM, he replied: “‘No, she will not make me the PM. It’ll be Manmohan Singh”’. According to Sharmistha’s book, Mukherjee’s relationship with Sonia was “nothing remarkable”, but over time he “developed a close and warm working relationship” with her.  He felt she was “intelligent, hardworking and keen to learn. Once he told me that unlike many political leaders, her biggest strength was that she knew and recognised her weaknesses and was willing to work hard to overcome them," Indian Express cited the book as saying. On PM Modi Pranab Mukherjee, who was serving as India’s President when PM Modi came to power in 2014, had admiration for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. ”On 23 October 2014, he noted in his diary, “PM’s decision to spend Diwali with jawans at Siachen and flood affected people at Srinagar speaks of his political sense which was not visible in any other PM except Indira Gandhi’,” the book noted Mukherjee as writing. She also claimed that her father believed that “Narendra Modi is the only PM after Indira Gandhi, who has the ability to feel the pulse of the people so acutely and accurately…” With inputs from agencies