President A P J Abdul Kalam earned Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s wrath for his consistent support for Indian interests, according to RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser.’

Noted columnist M D Nalapat in an article, ‘Why is Sonia against Mr Kalam’, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh having known the ‘mind’ of Ms Gandhi reportedly agreed to cap Agni III programme limiting its range to 5,000 km.
This would mean that the country would not be able to compete with Europe in the satellite launch market. “Such an outcome may not be unpalatable to her for anytime she has the luxury of getting back her European Union passport, the way Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori switched over to his  Japanese passport,” the paper said.
By the clandestine ‘sale’ of thorium under the guise of ‘export of sand’ or the efforts to sign the nuclear deal or retreating from Siachen and Sir Creek, the government had reduced the stature of India to a ‘diplomatic dwarf’ and the role of Europe in South Asia had been magnified, according to the paper.
“President Kalam is concerned about the Indian policy and the long term of impact of ‘Maino doctrine’ (India as a dwarf),” the paper said.

“He would be troubled by the attempted destruction of rocket and space programme to a level that would render the billion plus people defenceless in the event of a first strike by a nuclear power other than Pakistan. Is this defence of interests, the reason that prevented the UPA from backing Mr Kalam for a second term?” questions Mr Nalapat.

Mr Kalam, the columnist observes was an ‘odd person’ in the gathering of politicians because he was scrupulously honest all his life and even a visit of his family members to New Delhi was borne by his meagre savings.

The author also has a dig against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for not backing a fellow Tamilian for a second term. Did he ‘request’ the UPA not to grant Mr Kalam a second chance.

The magazine also takes a poke at ‘President Kalam’ for being ‘less assertive’ about country’s interests than ‘citizen Mr Kalam’. He, nevertheless, has been an outstanding head of the State and otherwise there is no reason to deny him a second term, the paper said.