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Rahul, not inner voice, stopped Sonia from becoming PM: Natwar

Last Updated 30 July 2014, 21:06 IST

Ahead of the release of his autobiography, former external affairs minister Natwar Singh claimed that Congress president Sonia Gandhi declined the prime minister’s post in 2004 because of her son Rahul, who was afraid that she would also be assassinated like his father Rajiv Gandhi. 

It was not Sonia’s inner voice that prevented her, as she claimed at the time, to take up the prime minister’s post but Rahul, saying he would take every step possible to prevent his mother from becoming the prime minister, Singh told Karan Thapar on “Headlines Today”.

Singh also claimed Rahul gave his mother a 24-hour deadline to decline the post. Singh’s book, “One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography,” which promises to give a tell-all account of his close ties with the Gandhi family, will be released by former attorney general Soli Sorabjee in the first week of August.

Congress general secretary (communication) Ajay Maken dismissed the claims as “ridiculous” and called it a publicity stunt. 
On May 7, Singh said Sonia and daughter Priyanka called on him at his house to plead that this story (on why she did not become the prime minister) be kept out of the book.

At this meeting, Singh claimed, Sonia embraced him, apologised for the way he had been treated and said he was her closest friend to whom she had confided things she has never told even Rahul or Priyanka.

Singh joined the Congress in 1984, and was chosen as foreign minister by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004. He was removed in December 2005 in the wake of the controversy over his alleged involvement in the Iraq oil-for-food scam.

Singh held that former president Shankar Dayal Sharma was Sonia’s first choice to become prime minister when the Congress came to power in 1991. After Sharma refused due to poor health, P V Narasimha Rao was the second choice, said Singh. Only after Sharma refused did she think of Rao. On both occasions, she took the advice of P N Haksar, he added.

Singh claimed that UPA allies, RJD chief Lalu Yadav and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, were upset over the fact that Manmohan Singh would be the prime minister and not Sonia.

Singh also contended that Rao had met him at Moh­a­m­med Yunus’s residence to seek his help in improving relations with Sonia. In another controversial remark, Singh had also “confirmed” that Son­ia received government files from the then principal secret­ary to the prime minister Pulok Chatterjee. 

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(Published 30 July 2014, 21:06 IST)

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