2024-09-01 00:35:28
New Delhi: Four years ago on this day, former President and former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee left us all. A long political life in which he earned a lot of fame and name. Once known as former PM Indira Gandhi’s number 2, Pranab Da’s relations were cordial except on a few occasions. Pranab Mukherjee got everything in the country’s politics, but there was always a desire which remained unfulfilled forever with his departure from this world. That desire was to become the Prime Minister of the country. It was not that Pranab Da did not get opportunities in so many years, but perhaps destiny wanted something else. Today we will mention those three opportunities, if they were availed, then perhaps Pranab Mukherjee would also be included in the list of Prime Ministers of the country.
First time: Indira Gandhi was assassinated and Pranab da was the option
The year 1984, the month of October, the Congress party, the Gandhi family and Pranab himself would never want to remember it. Former PM of the country Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her two bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. This news spread like wildfire and Pranab Mukherjee, sitting in Kolkata, also came to know about it. In his book ‘The Turbulent Years: 1980-1996’, Pranab Mukherjee has told about his visit to Delhi. In the pretext of the book, he told that after taking off from Kolkata, Rajiv Gandhi went to the cockpit and announced the return. Talking about Indira Gandhi, he said that she is no more. At that time, the position of PM candidate became vacant. It was not clear who should be given the chance. At that time, Pranab Mukherjee was in the seniority list and was a natural contender for the PM. Pranab Mukherjee has written in the book that I cited the examples of the time of Prime Minister Nehru and later Shastri, when they were in office (27 May 1964 and 11 January 1966 respectively). After both the examples, an interim government was formed considering Gulzari Lal Nanda, the most senior at that time. This view was in line with the common understanding of political observers of the time. This was not a time when the Gandhi family in the Congress had acquired the claim of undisputed leadership in the party or the party-led government.
Many agreed that Pranab Mukherjee was the natural choice for the post of Prime Minister after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. However, for them, his apparent ambition soured his relationship with Rajiv Gandhi, who removed him first from the cabinet and then from the party. Pranab Mukherjee rejected this claim in his book. According to him, during the Kolkata-Delhi flight, leaders including Balram Jakhar, Ghani Khan Choudhary, Shyamlal Yadav, Uma Shankar Dixit, Sheila Dixit and Pranab Da himself had decided during the journey itself that Rajiv Gandhi would be the next Prime Minister.
He wrote in his book that I took Rajiv to the back of the plane and requested him to take over as Prime Minister. His immediate question to me was, ‘Do you think I can handle this post?’ ‘Yes,’ I told him, ‘we are all there to help you. You will get everyone’s support.’ However, after landing in Delhi and before President Giani Johal Singh administered the oath to Rajiv Gandhi, something changed. Rajiv Gandhi left Pranab Mukherjee out of the Congress equation. Both Pranab Mukherjee and Rajiv Gandhi later attributed it to a misunderstanding based on untruths.
Second chance: Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and then…
Pranab Mukherjee came back to work with Rajiv Gandhi after his trusted aide VP Singh rebelled against him over the alleged Bofors gun scandal in the late 1980s. Rajiv Gandhi lost power in 1989 but the next two governments were short-lived and the 1991 Lok Sabha election was just around the corner. Pranab Mukherjee was again number two in the Congress and it was widely speculated that he would be the next finance minister if Rajiv Gandhi won. Then Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during the election campaign. The Congress won a near majority in the 1991 elections, thanks to the sympathy vote. Pranab Mukherjee again appeared at the top of the list of prime ministerial candidates, but after being accused of being overly ambitious a few years earlier, Pranab Mukherjee waited patiently this time.
Congress rallied around Sonia Gandhi’s name, she refused to participate in active politics. However, she reportedly ignored Pranab Mukherjee’s candidature due to her once soured relationship with Rajiv Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi suggested PV Narasimha Rao’s name. Interestingly, Narasimha Rao was about to retire from his political life and go to his native village after getting permission from Rajiv Gandhi. He was packing his things when his name was announced as PM. This was the second time Pranab Mukherjee missed out on becoming the Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh came as the Finance Minister and made history.
Third and final chance: No chance again
The Congress came to power in 2004 as the lead party of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Sonia Gandhi seemed all set to become the Prime Minister despite fierce opposition from the BJP. She eventually refused the chair and Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister at her insistence. Pranab Mukherjee served as a minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet. It was a strange twist. As Finance Minister in the Indira Gandhi government, Pranab Mukherjee had signed the order appointing Manmohan Singh as RBI Governor. After this decision, Pranab Mukherjee was to serve under Manmohan Singh this time. Manmohan Singh had got into trouble with the Left over the nuclear deal with the US. Manmohan Singh thought it better to lose power over the nuclear deal than to succumb to Left pressure.
Manmohan Singh finally got his way but the question of his candidature for the 2009 elections came up. The Congress was mired in corruption allegations – the Adarsh scam – and the party had to maintain its position from the 2004 elections. Manmohan Singh was not acceptable to the Left Front. Pranab Mukherjee was. Before the 2009 election results came out, Pranab Mukherjee’s hope of becoming the Prime Minister for the third time looked like a light coming out of a tunnel. It seemed that he would be made PM this time.
There was speculation in the pre-poll days that Pranab Mukherjee could be the next Prime Minister and Manmohan Singh could retire from Rashtrapati Bhavan, but when the election results came, the Congress crossed the 200-mark and the Left Front was weakened. Manmohan Singh retained his post for five more years and it was Pranab Mukherjee who retired from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Pranab Mukherjee had said in an interview to India Today TV that I knew my limits and my place. Whether I was a member of the Lok Sabha or not, my second shortcoming was that I was not fluent in Hindi, and I believe that to become the Prime Minister of India, one must be fluent in Hindi, the language of the masses.