Opinion: Sonia Gandhi Writes Of Pranab Mukherjee's PM Ambition. The Story Behind It

Sonia Gandhi's recently published autobiography has created a major storm across the country, but in a primarily personal account of her life, the part about Pranab Mukherjee is among the more politically revelatory bits. She writes that, during a private conversation in 2010, Pranab Mukherjee had expressed a desire to replace Manmohan Singh as the head of the UPA government.

She says she diverted the conversation.Sonia has also suggested that Pranab Mukherjee nurtured the ambition of becoming PM throughout his political life, carrying it quietly within.Pranab Mukherjee's daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, has naturally come out in support of her father. She has questioned whether ambition should be considered a fault, particularly when it is backed by decades of political and administrative experience, extraordinary hard work and an exceptional intellect.READ | 'Pranab Mukherjee Shocked Me With Change At Top Suggestion': Sonia GandhiShe posted on X, "Once, when asked by me whether he wanted to become PM, he very candidly answered that any politician worth his salt has this ambition".