Sources said Gandhi has been contemplating researching and compiling the hitherto unpublished correspondences and letters of both Mahatma and Rajagopalachari in the contemporary historical perspective.
“Several letters of Rajaji still remain unpublished and he wants to study his life and work in a more comprehensive manner,” the sources said.
Rajaji was appointed the first Governor of West Bengal after Independence and left Kolkata a year after as the country’s last governor-general, a post he served from 1948 to 1950. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of Rajaji and also of Mahatma Gandhi, served in the gubernatorial post of West Bengal 62 years later.
During his tenure, Gandhi was critical of the state government on law and order front and also vocal against the political violence that rocked Nandigram in East Midnapore district over the state’s move to set up a chemical hub.
Gandhi issued statements after the violence that claimed 14 lives in March, 2007 in Nandigram as well as after its “recapture” nine months later by the ruling party. He also attempted to resolve the Singur land crisis by calling political rivals—Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Mamata Banerjee—to a meeting at Raj Bhavan in early 2008.
The move, however, ended in failure. The crisis persisted and the Tatas finally had to shelve their small car project at Singur due to sustained agitation by Trinamool Congress over land acquisition.
Gandhi was also responsive to a power crisis in the state when he decided to voluntarily switch off electricity for two hours daily at Raj Bhavan. It was at his instance that solar power was installed at Raj Bhavan.
A voracious reader, Gandhi has donated a large number of books from his personal collection to the Raj Bhavan library.