New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, hit bookstores on Tuesday, shedding light on her decision to decline the party’s offer to become Prime Minister in 2004 and instead nominate Dr Manmohan Singh to lead the country.
In the book, Sonia Gandhi explained why she considered Singh, who served as the Prime Minister for two consecutive terms and passed away in 2024 at the age of 92, the most suitable candidate for the top constitutional post. She said she regarded him as a person of unquestionable integrity, with an exceptional understanding of governance and public administration, according to a report by NDTV.
Gandhi, who was serving as Congress National President at the time, also believed that Dr Singh’s appointment would help address concerns among various sections about the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s ability to govern effectively and carry forward the economic policies initiated in the previous years.
“There were several senior colleagues, seasoned and qualified for the post, who would have been more than willing to accept it but among all of them was one who had long been in my sight as a person above reproach, and possessed a deep and consummate understanding of governance. That was Dr Manmohan Singh, a member of the Congress Working Committee,” Gandhi wrote in her memoir, published by HarperCollins India.
She further recalled Dr Singh’s contribution to India’s economic transformation, particularly his role as an experienced economist and Finance Minister in the early 1990s. During his tenure under then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, Singh had introduced a series of economic reforms that significantly changed the country’s economic direction.
Gandhi also pointed out that Dr Singh was not associated with any particular group within the Congress party, which made him an appropriate choice at a time when the political composition of the UPA government was changing.
“He was not allied to any camp in the party. Over a period of time, the Congress had been painted as being left of centre, and our government would now be supported by the Communist parties as well. I thought Dr Manmohan Singh would assuage the doubts of many about our ability to manage and continue the policies that had been begun years ago,” NDTV quoted Gandhi as saying.
Reflecting on Dr Singh’s personal background and journey, Gandhi said he had experienced considerable hardships from an early age. Born into a Sikh family in a village in Punjab, which is now located in Pakistan, Singh lost his mother when he was young and grew up understanding the challenges of life and struggle.
“His keen intellect and hard work had taken him from a remote village school to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and on from there to international fora. Aside from all his accomplishments as a scholar and technocrat, what I knew best about Dr Singh was that he had a kind and compassionate heart, and his integrity unquestionable,” Gandhi said in the memoir.
She added that Dr Singh’s honesty, compassion and experience made her confident that the country would remain in safe hands under his leadership.
“I knew that our beloved country would be safe in his hands. I held consultations with my senior colleagues, and they seemed more reconciled to my decision. They didn’t oppose Dr Manmohan Singh’s name when I suggested it to them; no one could contest the depth of his experience or his reputation as an honourable man who would do right by India,” she recalled.
The former Congress President, who was 79 at the time of writing the memoir, also described how Dr Singh was discreetly approached to find out whether he would be willing to take up the responsibility of Prime Minister. Although he initially expressed reluctance and declined the offer, his hesitation was eventually overcome after discussions, and he agreed to accept the position.
Recalling the day she accompanied Dr Singh to Rashtrapati Bhawan, Gandhi offered a detailed account of the events of May 18, 2004, when the process of government formation was underway.
“I asked my colleague Dr Manmohan Singh to accompany me. It was May 18 when we arrived at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Its vast, imposing walls stood tall against the sweltering sun. A flock of pigeons flitted about a large sandstone fountain at the centre of what is called the Eastern Court of the palatial building.
“I felt a sudden surge of emotion as our cars pulled up at the entrance. I’d been there many times before with my mother-in-law and with Rajiv, but this time I was walking through the long, dark corridors of Rashtrapati Bhawan for a different purpose,” she wrote.
Gandhi also recalled the return journey from Rashtrapati Bhawan to her residence at 10, Janpath, following their meeting. She said there was no discussion about the Prime Minister’s post between her and Dr Singh during the drive, as he, like everyone else, had naturally assumed that she would take over as the country’s next Prime Minister.
“We returned from Rashtrapati Bhawan to my home at 10, Janpath. I saw Dr Singh to his car. There had been no discussion about the prime ministership between the two of us on the drive back nor had there been before that. I said nothing to him even now. He had quite naturally assumed, like everyone else, that it would be me,” Gandhi wrote.
–IANS
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