'If Pranab Mukherjee Became PM...': Mani Shankar Aiyar Cites Congress’s 2 'Disasters' For UPA-II's 2014 Rout

Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar believes that if Pranab Mukherjee had become Prime Minister during UPA-II, the Congress's disastrous performance in the 2014 general election might have been less severe.

Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has asserted that the 2014 general election results, which saw the BJP swept to power, might have been different had Pranab Mukherjee been made Prime Minister and Dr Manmohan Singh elevated to President during the UPA-II government. Aiyar shared this view while discussing his new book, A Maverick in Politics, in an interview with news agency PTI.

Reflecting on the Congress's disastrous performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where the party secured only 44 seats, Aiyar attributed the debacle to "no governance" in 2013. He noted that key leaders were debilitated by health issues in 2012, leaving a void at the top.

“You see, in 2012, we had two disasters: Sonia Gandhi fell very ill, and Dr Manmohan Singh had six bypasses. So, we were crippled at the head of the government and at the head of the party. But there was one man who was still full of energy, full of ideas, had a certain amount of charisma, and could have run either the party or the government or even both. And that was Pranab Mukherjee,” Aiyar said.

“If Dr Manmohan Singh had become President and Pranab Mukherjee the Prime Minister, I still think we would have lost in 2014, but not by this massive humiliating defeat,” Aiyar told PTI.

"A party that had been at 414 in December 1984 had fallen by 2014 to 44 seats. That is because there was no governance in 2013, everyone was recovering from illness, a lot of charges were made against us which had never been established in a court of law. In the 2G case, where (DMK leaders) A Raja and K Kanimozhi spent a year in detention in Tihar jail, nothing has come out," he added.

The senior Congress leader further stated that Mukherjee’s extensive experience and energy could have steered the government more effectively, preventing its fall to just 44 seats. “Pranab Mukherjee would have provided governance. Even if that governance was not enough to save us, at least we would not have been reduced to 44 seats; we would have been reduced to 140 seats,” he opined.

Aiyar recounted how Mukherjee had also reflected on this possibility in his memoir, noting that Sonia Gandhi had reportedly considered this change during her stay in the Kaushambi Hills but ultimately decided against it. “Why she decided to remain with the status quo, I don’t know. You would have to ask her,” he remarked.

Aiyar On 'Paralysis Of Governance' During UPA-II: ‘Congress Went Into 2014 General Elections Very Much A Runner-Up’

According to PTI, Aiyar in his book paints a vivid picture of the UPA-II government’s decline, narrating a personal moment when his wife, Suneet, expressed frustration with the constant corruption allegations. He also criticised the government for being unable to counter the narrative effectively, leading to what he described as a "paralysis of governance."

The Congress leader highlighted the challenges that plagued the UPA-II government, including corruption allegations, the mishandling of Anna Hazare’s "India Against Corruption" movement, and the fallout from the Commonwealth Games scandal. “We went into the 2014 general elections very much a runner-up,” Aiyar noted.

He opined that the decision to retain Manmohan Singh as prime minister "doomed any prospects the Congress might have had to form UPA-II."

Aiyar contended that Pranab's left-wing reputation would have disturbed the business community and the Americans if he were made PM, but there was no one more experienced than him. "I hazard the view that if this obvious step had been taken, we would not have gone into a paralysis of governance and thus opened the door to the worst excesses of Hindutva in the general elections of 2014," he stated in the book, as per PTI.

A Maverick in Politics, published by Juggernaut, chronicles Aiyar’s political journey, from his early days in the Congress to his time as a minister in UPA-I and his reflections on the party’s decline. Aiyar also recalls the UPA-II government’s low point when three Union ministers went to receive Baba Ramdev at the Delhi airport, calling it a moment of desperation.

"The Commonwealth Games scandal also contributed to blackening the government's face in the eyes of the general public," Aiyar adds. "But what, perhaps, put the lid on the UPA government's election prospects was the mishandled Anna Hazare-led agitation, 'India Against Corruption'. The minister of home affairs, PC who initially refused Anna Hazare permission to conduct his fast in the Ram Lila grounds, eventually caved in and the Ram Lila grounds became 'ground zero' for a much-publicized agitation. I think the lowest point in UPA-II's reign was when three Union ministers went to Delhi airport to receive the private aircraft of Baba Ramdev, the highly controversial 'godman' who was supporting Anna Hazare," Aiyar stated in the book.

Pranab Mukherjee, who served as President of India from 2012 to 2017, was widely respected across party lines and was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019. He passed away in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.