Days after the Rupa publishing house announced the launch of the latest volume of memoirs by former President Pranab Mukherjee, his son and former Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, Abhijit Mukherjee, have demanded that publication be stopped pending approval.
In a series of tweets, Mukherjee said the excerpts that were posted were “motivated” and that the former president would not have approved them.
Hindustan Times reached out to editors, but for now they have declined to comment. However, an official on condition of anonymity confirmed to the Hindustan Times that President Pranab Mukherjee had not only approved the final draft of the manuscript, but had also approved the cover one day before his admission to the hospital.
Rupa had published some excerpts from The presidential years on Friday in which he blames the head of Congress Sonia Gandhi and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the devastating defeat of the party in the 2014 general election. The book also expresses his view that Prime Minister Narendra Modi employed a style of autocratic government during his first term in power.
“As my father is no more, being his son, I want to review the content of the final copy of the book before its publication, as I believe, if my father had been alive today, he would have done the same as well,” said Abhijit. Mukherjee tweeted to editor Kapish Mehra.
He then added, “I ask that you immediately stop posting without my written consent until I review your content! I have already sent you a detailed letter in this regard which will reach you soon. ”
The book to be published early next year is the fourth part of Pranab Mukherjee’s memoirs that was first published in 2014, when he was in Rashtrapati Bhawan. The previously quoted official said the former president had signed the first agreement with them in 2013 and the last book contract was signed in 2018. “Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee was nowhere in the picture,” the official said.
Another official who worked with the former president confirmed to the Hindustan Times that President Mukherjee had approved the publication of the latest volume. They also confirmed that their daughter Sharmishta Mukherjee, who is also a member of Congress, was much more aware than her brother. Hindustan Times reached out to her for comment, but has not yet responded.
“While Dr. Singh was concerned about saving the coalition, which affected governance, Modi seemed to have employed a rather autocratic style of governance during his first term, as seen in the bitter relationship between the government, the legislature and the judiciary, ”Mukherjee wrote in the book, according to published excerpts. “Only time will tell if there will be a better understanding of these issues in the second term of this government.”
The Congress Party has not responded to the details of the book or its disclosures so far.
.
