- Sharmistha questioned Sonia’s memoir account of Pranab’s ambition.
- Sonia’s book detailed Pranab’s implied desire for prime ministership.
- Sharmistha defended father’s ambition, citing his experience and merit.
Is it crime to be ambitious when that ‘ambition’ was backed by decades of experience in politics and governance? Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, questioned Sonia Gandhi over her account of a 2010 conversation with her father.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey Of Love, released worldwide on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi recalls a 2010 conversation with Pranab Mukherjee and writes that he “shocked me with the suggestion that perhaps it was time for a change at the top”, which she understood as a hint of his “long-held desire to become prime minister”.
‘What’s There To Get Shocked About?’
Reacting to the account, Sharmistha asked why it was wrong for her father to harbour an ambition to become prime minister.
“What’s there to get ‘shocked’ about? Is it a crime to be ambitious, especially when that ‘ambition’ was supported by decades of experience in politics & governance, hard work & a brilliant mind?” she said in a post on X.
She also pointed to her father’s rise from humble beginnings, arguing that he earned his position through merit and hard work rather than dynastic privilege.
‘Any Politician Worth His Salt Has This Ambition’
Sharmistha recalled asking her father about his desire to become prime minister. According to her, he candidly told her that “any politician worth his salt has this ambition”.
She said Pranab Mukherjee had achieved his political stature through “sheer merit & hard-work”, without being handed positions because of dynastic connections.
“There was no-one to serve him positions, including PM-ship, on a platter due to dynastic entitlements,” she said.
She then questioned whether Sonia Gandhi’s surprise stemmed from the fact that someone outside the Gandhi-Nehru family had such an ambition and had “hinted” at it to her.
‘He Did Not Hold It Against Her’
In her memoir, Sonia Gandhi writes that she changed the subject after Mukherjee’s comment about a “change at the top”, adding that although he may have been disappointed, he never made her feel that he held it against her.
Sharmistha agreed with that assessment, saying her father was pragmatic and understood the reasons behind Sonia Gandhi’s response.
“In this same context, I read that she said she felt ‘he never held it against me’. From what I read in his diaries & whatever conversation he had with me, I would like to reassure her that he did not hold it against her or anyone else,” she said.
“He was a pragmatic person with deep understanding. He understood her reasons & insecurities that all human beings are prone to,” she added.
Sonia Gandhi Recalls Pranab’s Presidency
Sonia Gandhi also noted in her memoir that the Congress nominated Mukherjee as the UPA’s presidential candidate in 2012. He was subsequently elected as the President of India, the country’s highest constitutional office.
She recalled continuing to meet him, saying she often called him “just to converse with the erudite and knowledgeable politician that he always remained.”
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