Sonia Considered Pranab for PM Before 2014 Polls: Gautam Lahiri
New Delhi: Nearly two years before the 2014 general election, then Congress president Sonia Gandhi considered Pranab Mukherjee, then the finance minister, to take over as Prime Minister in place of Dr Manmohan Singh. With the term of former President Pratibha Patil coming to an end on April 25, 2012, Mrs Gandhi was thinking of replacing her with the then PM, Dr Manmohan Singh. This revelation comes in a recently published Bengali biography of Pranab Mukherjee —Pranab Mukherjee-Rajniti o Kutniti (Pranab Mukherjee — Politics and Diplomacy) — by journalist and author Gautam Lahiri.
In the chapter “Sonia Shidhanta Nilen Pranab Hoben Pradhanmontri” (Sonia decided that Pranab will be Prime Minister), Lahiri writes that in 2012 Sonia Gandhi was concerned that Dr Singh might not be able to lead the party to success in the upcoming 2014 general election. She believed that Pranab Mukherjee would be the party’s best option for securing a favourable outcome. “Pranab was also made aware of this particular line of thinking,” Lahiri writes, and then added: “The same evening Pranab was in an excellent mood and offered sweets to a group of Bengali journalists.”
When the Congress Party floated Dr Singh’s name for the presidential election, it faced “stiff opposition” from both its UPA allies and the Opposition. The latter began suggesting Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a potential candidate for a second term. Dr Kalam had previously served as President of India from 2002 to 2007. As Pratibha Patil’s term neared its end, the ruling Congress became desperate in their search for a strong candidate.
According to Lahiri, key figures from the BJP and the NDA, including L.K. Advani, Nitish Kumar and Bal Thackeray, signaled their willingness to support Pranab Mukherjee if he were nominated as the presidential candidate. Faced with this situation, Sonia Gandhi turned to Pranab for advice. Pranab warned her that if Dr. Singh was nominated as the UPA’s official candidate for President, he would likely lose. He cautioned that a defeat in the presidential race would not only result in a “major loss of face” for the Congress-led UPA but could also undermine the government’s moral authority, raising serious questions about its legitimacy and right to continue in power. Lahiri claims that, understanding the potential fallout, Pranab Mukherjee convinced Sonia Gandhi not to move forward with Dr. Singh’s candidacy. Instead, Pranab offered himself as a candidate, assuring her that he could garner support from the NDA. While Pranab’s offer was somewhat of a letdown for Sonia Gandhi, it was clear that he sought the position of President out of personal pride.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress supreme Mamata Banerjee, who had initially opposed Pranab’s candidacy, also fell in line. Pranab Mukherjee went on to become President of India in 2012 and completed a full five-year term.
