Pranab Mukherjee wanted to be PM? Daughter challenges Sonia Gandhi’s memoir account

In an X post, Sharmistha questioned why Sonia was “shocked” by her father’s reported ambition, arguing that his decades of political experience, administrative capabilities and hard work gave him every reason to aspire to the country's top political post.

“What’s there to get ‘shocked’ about? Is it a crime to be ambitious, especially when that ‘ambition’ was supported by decades of experience in politics and governance, hard work and a brilliant mind?” she wrote.

Her remarks came after Sonia recalled the conversation in her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, reigniting questions about whether Pranab Mukherjee had aspired to replace then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

‘No one served him positions on a platter’

In her post, Sharmistha highlighted her father's humble beginnings and long political career, asserting that he had earned his positions through merit rather than family connections.

She recalled once asking her father whether he wanted to become Prime Minister. According to her, Pranab candidly replied that “any politician worth his salt has this ambition”.

Taking an apparent swipe at the Gandhi-Nehru family, she questioned whether Sonia's surprise stemmed from the fact that someone outside the political dynasty could aspire to the country's highest executive office.

“There was no-one to serve him positions, including PM-ship, on a platter due to dynastic entitlements,” she wrote.

She further asked whether Sonia was “shocked” that someone outside the Gandhi-Nehru family could nurture such an ambition and even hint at it to her.

What Sonia Gandhi recalled in her memoir

In her memoir, Sonia Gandhi recounted a conversation with Pranab Mukherjee in 2010, when he was among the most senior leaders in the Congress-led UPA government.

She wrote that Pranab would occasionally stay back for conversations after meetings of the Congress leadership.

During one such interaction, he reportedly expressed frustration over his differences with then Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

“On one occasion, in 2010, I think after expressing his frustration, he shocked me with the suggestion that perhaps it was time for a change at the top, which I understood as a hint of his long-held desire to become prime minister,” Sonia wrote, according to PTI.

She added that she gently changed the subject and, although Pranab might have been disappointed, he never made her feel that he held it against her.

‘He held no grudge against Sonia’

Responding to Sonia's account, Sharmistha maintained that her father's personal diaries and conversations with her indicated that he harboured no resentment towards Sonia or anyone else.

“He was a pragmatic person with deep understanding. He understood her reasons and insecurities that all human beings are prone to,” she wrote.

Pranab Mukherjee served in several key portfolios during the UPA government, including Defence, External Affairs and Finance, between 2004 and 2012.

He was subsequently nominated as the UPA's presidential candidate and became India's 13th President in July 2012.

Sonia also recalled visiting him after he assumed the presidency, describing him as an “erudite and knowledgeable politician”.