Congress didn't see charismatic leadership's end: Pranab Mukherjee's book on 2014 mandate

Former President Pranab Mukherjee in his memoir said that the Congress's failure to recognise the end of its charismatic leadership was among the many reasons for its 2014 Lok Sabha polls defeat. The Congress veteran felt that lack of extraordinary leaders reduced the establishment to a "government of averages".

Mukherjee made these comments in his memoir "The Presidential Years, 2012-2017" which he wrote before his death last year. The book released on Tuesday. According to a PTI report, in the book, Mukherjee mentioned that on the day of the results of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he directed his aide-de-camp to keep him informed of the trends every half an hour. When the results were announced in the evening, he was "greatly relieved over the decisive mandate but also disappointed at my one-time party's performance".

'It was difficult to believe...'

"It was difficult to believe that the Congress had managed to win just 44 seats. Congress is a national institution interlinked with people's lives. Its future is always a concern of every thinking individual," he wrote in the book, published by Rupa Publications.

The former Congress leader and Union minister attributed this defeat to many reasons. "I feel the party failed to recognise the end of its charismatic leadership. Tall leaders like Pandit Nehru ensured that India, unlike Pakistan, survived and developed into a strong and stable nation. Sadly, such extraordinary leaders are not there anymore, reducing the establishment to a government of averages," he wrote.

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He wrote he had very cordial relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure. "However, I did not hesitate to give my advice on matters of policy during our meetings. There were several occasions when he echoed concerns that I had voiced. I also believe that he has managed to grasp the nuances of foreign policy quickly," the book said.

Mukherjee's approach to maintaining cordial relations with PM Modi was rooted in the fact that "I believe in the parliamentary form of government and its principle". "Modi had received a decisive mandate from the people to administer the country. Administrative powers are vested in the Council of Ministers, which the PM heads. Therefore, I did not breach my jurisdiction. Whenever tricky occasions arose, the issues were resolved," he wrote. 

"At an event in which PM Modi released a book and I was present, I remarked that it was not that I did not have any differences with him, but that both of us knew how to manage those differences, without bringing them out in public," he added.

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