Image Source: The Economic Times

Agencies:

Congress was reduced to party of average leaders: Pranab Mukherjee in book

New Delhi
January 7, 2021

The Congress had failed miserably to fulfil people�s expectations and aspirations which led to its electoral debacle, former President Pranab Mukherjee wrote in his book that was released on Tuesday.

In the book, �The Presidential Years, 2012-2017�, Mukherjee, who passed away in August 2020 has talked in detail about the reasons for the electoral setback for the Congress since 2014.

Mukherjee wrote that he didn�t expect such a poor show by the party in 2014. Talking about reasons for Congress� defeat, he wrote that the party failed to recognize the end of charismatic leadership. �Tall leaders like Pandit Nehru ensured that India, unlike Pakistan survived and developed into a strong and stable nation. Sadly, such extraordinary leaders are not there anymore, reducing the establishment to a Government of averages,� he wrote.

He wrote that the party lost political focus after his elevation as President of the country. �While Sonia Gandhi was unable to handle the affairs of the party, Dr. (Manmohan) Singh�s prolonged absence from the House put an end to any personal contact with other MPs,� Mukherjee wrote. �Besides some senior Congress leaders� political naivet� and arrogance hurt the fortunes of the party further.�

He added: �In fact, after the campaign, when all the formalities were complete, several important Congress leaders and ministers met me at Rashtrapati Bhavan for various reasons. Interestingly, none of them expected a clear majority for either the Congress or the UPA combine. Their assessment of the number of seats that the Congress could win varied from 110 to 170,� he wrote.

Talking about himself, Mukherjee wrote that had he continued in the government as finance minister, he would have ensured Mamata Banerjee�s continuity in the coalition.