Sonia Gandhi's memoir reveals that Pranab Mukherjee once hinted at his desire to become India's Prime Minister, suggesting a 'change at the top' in 2010. She expressed surprise at his ambition but noted that he never held it against her. Mukherjee's daughter defended his aspirations, questioning why ambition should be shocking.
SENIOR CONGRESS LEADER SONIA GANDHI has disclosed some shocking details about her life in her latest memoir, titled Belonging: A Journey of Love, which was released on November 10, 2026. Gandhi’s much-awaited personal memoir has also shed light on former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who once desired to become the prime minister of the country.
Recalling their interaction in 2010, Sonia Gandhi wrote about how shocked she was to hear Mukherjee’s suggestion to bring about a “change at the top.”
Pranab Mukherjee served as the President of India from 2012 to 2017 and was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). There had been reports earlier alleging that Mukherjee aspired to become the prime minister of the country. Despite the rumours, Sonia Gandhi has finally spilled the tea, sharing her reaction to his statement while also rejecting claims that she was a “backseat driver” when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was in power.
Sonia Gandhi’s 526-page book predominantly covers personal chapters of her life as well as her political journey. Sonia Gandhi was 19 years old when she met Rajiv Gandhi, who would later become the Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. The Italian-born Indian politician is also the mother of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.
Speaking about her differences with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who held office from 2004 to 2014, she wrote that she expressed her opinions to him in her capacity as the then Congress president. She added that it was her duty to disagree with him when it was needed.
Writing about her compatibility with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her tenure as Congress president, she said that the duo had an “unspoken division of responsibility.” Their arrangement, with Singh running the government and her managing the party, worked without any tremors, she wrote in her memoir. Regular meetings were held to ensure that coordination between the party and the government was maintained properly.
The core group, which included Pranab Mukherjee, former Defence Minister AK Anthony, former Union Minister Arjun Singh, and former MP Ahmed Patel, would meet the prime minister every week. Sonia Gandhi wrote that Mukherjee would sometimes stay back to have a chat with her. She further mentioned that she used to address him as “Pranab ji.”
She also shared that Mukherjee had some differences with then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. On one occasion, Sonia Gandhi recalled Mukherjee expressing his frustration and sharing his thoughts with her. In her memoir, she wrote that it was in 2010 that Mukherjee shocked her with his suggestion.
She wrote, “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.”
She continued that she immediately changed the subject, adding that “he may have been disappointed, but he never made me feel that he held it against me.” Referring to him as “erudite and knowledgeable,” she recalled having conversations with Mukherjee quite often.
He was elected as the UPA’s presidential candidate in 2012. Pranab Mukherjee had also served as the Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012. The Bharat Ratna recipient passed away at the age of 84 in 2020.
Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of Pranab Mukherjee, reacted to Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on X, asking her, “What’s there to get ‘shocked’ about?” Defending her late father, she wrote, “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 further recalled asking her father whether he wanted to become the Prime Minister.
Sharmistha recalled her father’s candid reply, quoting him as saying, “Any politician worth his salt has this ambition.” She continued by talking about her late father’s humble beginnings and wrote that no one had handed him any positions.
“If a well-deserving person harbours ambition to become Prime Minister, what’s wrong in that, unless Sonia ji was ‘shocked’ by the fact that anyone outside the Gandhi-Nehru family could even dare to nurture such an ambition and furthermore dared to ‘hint’ it to her?” wrote Sharmistha Mukherjee.
[Rh/VS]
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