New Delhi: India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru rejected provide of together with Nepal as a province of India, says late President Pranab Mukherjee in his autobiography, “The Presidential Years.”
However, he provides that “had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim”.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee made these feedback in his memoir “The Presidential Years, 2012-2017” which he wrote earlier than his demise final 12 months. The guide launched on Tuesday.
The guide had additionally triggered a public spat between his son and daughter over its launch.
Pranab’s son Abhijit Mukherjee had taken to Twitter, asking the publishers to let him vet the guide earlier than it goes for remaining printing. On the opposite hand, his sister requested him to not create any hurdles within the launch of guide.
“After the Rana rule was replaced by the monarchy in Nepal, he wished for democracy to take root. Interestingly, Nepal’s king, Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, had suggested to Nehru that Nepal be made a province of India. But Nehru rejected the offer on the grounds that Nepal was an independent nation and must remain so,” a number one portal quotes late President’s remarks within the new guide.
“Had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim,” late president wrote additional.
On Congress debacle in 2014 polls
“It was difficult to believe that the Congress had managed to win just 44 seats. The Congress is a national institution interlinked with people’s lives. Its future is always a concern of every thinking individual,” Pranab wrote within the guide, printed by Rupa Publications.
“I feel the party failed to recognise the end of its 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.
On Kejriwal’s ‘dharna politics’
On Kejriwal, Mukherjee says the Delhi Chief Minister and his deputy sought his recommendation as soon as on the standard of training in colleges.
“I used one of these occasions to speak my mind to Kejriwal on his penchant for sitting on dharna over frivolous issues. He had been prone to take to the streets to highlight various concerns. I told him that, while all this was fine when he was an activist, if he persisted with the same strategy as CM, it would not add to the dignity of the high office he occupied. I advised that it was important for him to maintain that dignity,” he writes within the guide.
