Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday took a dig at former President Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter, Sharmishtha Mukherjee over her remark that her father wanted to become prime minister but Sonia Gandhi assumed that he would challenge her authority.
“I think that this background is being prepared to go somewhere else because she (Sharmistha Mukherjee) had once come to Congress too and had expressed her desire to contest elections, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Chowdhury said while speaking to news agency ANI on Thursday.
“She had campaigned for the Congress party and was also a candidate, till that time we never got to know something like this,” he added.
Sharmishtha joined the Congress party in 2014 and contested Delhi Assembly elections in February 2015, but said she quit “active politics” in 2019.
In her upcoming book, "In Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers" to be published on the late Congress veteran’s birth anniversary on December 11, she revealed that Pranab Mukherjee wanted to become prime minister in 2004 but Sonia Gandhi wanted to safeguard the interests of herself and her family.
In the chapter titled "The PM India Never Had", Sharmistha wrote: "Following Sonia's decision to withdraw from the prime ministerial race, there was intense speculation within the media and political spheres.
READ HERE: Pranab Mukherjee Wanted To Become PM But Sonia Gandhi...: Former President's Daughter
"The names of Dr Manmohan Singh and Pranab were being discussed as the top contenders for the position. I did not have the chance to meet Baba for a couple of days as he was terribly busy, but I spoke to him over the phone. I asked him excitedly if he was going to become the PM,” according to a PTI report.
His response was blunt, 'No, she will not make me the PM. It'll be Manmohan Singh.'
“But she should announce it fast. This uncertainty is not good for the country,” he added.