Sharmistha Mukherjee questions Sonia Gandhi over Pranab's PM ambition remark

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s account of a 2010 conversation with Pranab Mukherjee has drawn a sharp response from his daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee. She questioned the former Congress president on why her father’s ambition to become Prime Minister should have shocked Sonia, wondering whether she was shocked that someone outside the Gandhi family could “dare to nurture” such an ambition. She argued that his political record and abilities gave him every reason to aspire to the post.

'Is it a crime to be ambitious'

In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey Of Love, Sonia writes that Mukherjee had suggested it might be time for a “change at the top”. She took the remark as a hint of his long-held desire to become Prime Minister.

Sharmistha defended her father’s ambition, citing his decades in politics and governance.

Also Read: Sonia recalls Gujarat riots relief camp, how a father's plea left her speechless

“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? Once, when asked by me whether he wanted to become PM, he very candidly answered that ‘any politician worth his salt has this ambition’,” she said in a post on X.

Sharmistha cites father's humble beginnings

She said Mukherjee rose through his own efforts and wasn't handed political positions because of family connections.

“My father came from a very humble background. Whatever he achieved in his life was through sheer merit & hard-work. There was no-one to serve him positions, including PM-ship, on a platter due to dynastic entitlements. If a well-deserving person harbours ambition to become Prime Minister, what’s wrong in that, unless Sonia ji was ‘shocked’ by the fact that anyone outside Gandhi-Nehru family could even dare to nurture such an ambition & furthermore dared to ‘hint’ it to her?” she added.

Sonia writes that she changed the subject when Mukherjee raised the possibility of a change at the top. She says he may have been disappointed, but “he never made me feel he held it against me”.

Also Read: ‘Modi avoids eye contact’, ‘Indira cried after Op Blue Star’: Sonia Gandhi in memoir

Sharmistha also addressed this part of the memoir, referring to her father's diaries and conversations with him.

“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. He was a pragmatic person with deep understanding. He understood her reasons & insecurities that all human beings are prone to,” she said.