The memoirs of Barak Obama will be published tomorrow. (Archive)
New Delhi:
The memoirs of former US President Barack Obama have “high praise for Manmohan Singh,” but Prime Minister Narendra Modi “is not mentioned by name at all,” says Congressional Leader Shashi Tharoor in a series of tweets. Tharoor wrote that he had an advance copy of the first of Obama’s two-part memoir, “A Promised Land,” which was published Tuesday and that he had read everything about India marked on the index.
“Big news: not much. Big news: At 902 pages, Narendra Modi is not mentioned by name,” the congressional deputy and former union minister tweeted.
“High praise for Dr. ManMohan Singh, warmly described as” wise, thoughtful and scrupulously honest “,” a man of rare wisdom and decency “with whom he enjoyed” a warm and productive relationship “although MMS was” cautious in foreign policy “. His consideration and respect shine.”
President Obama “worries about impulses of violence, greed, corruption, nationalism, racism and religious intolerance,” wrote Tharoor quoting from the book: “They seemed to lurk everywhere, ready to resurface when growth rates stagnate or changed demographics or a charismatic leader chose to ride the wave of people’s fears and resentments. And as much as he wished otherwise, there was no Mahatma Gandhi around. “
In India, the book caused a stir last week with an unflattering description by Rahul Gandhi that drew comment from delighted BJP leaders.
“Rahul Gandhi has ‘a nervous and reportless quality about him, as if he were a student who had done coursework and was eager to impress the teacher, but deep down lacked the aptitude or passion to master the subject'” The New York Times reported, citing from the book. It also extracts a part that describes Manmohan Singh as having a “kind of impassive integrity.”
1. I have an advance copy of @Barack Obamait is #APromisedLand And although I have not read every page, I have read every part of India marked in the Index. Great news: not much. Most important news: in 902 pages, @Narendra Modi It is not mentioned by name at all.
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 15, 2020
2. High praise for Dr. ManMohan Singh, warmly described as “wise, thoughtful and scrupulously honest”, “a man of rare wisdom and decency” with whom he enjoyed “a warm and productive relationship”, even though MMS was ” cautious on foreign policy. ” . Your consideration and respect shine through.
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 15, 2020
5. It is difficult to imagine that the Sanghis who have rejoiced on social media for a phrase from the memoirs feel very comfortable with these reflections. They offer a preview of what Vol. 2 is likely to tell us about India in a post-Manmohan Singh era, when Obama returned.
– Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 15, 2020
Some congressional leaders have pointed to longer excerpts from the book at a dinner President Obama had with the former prime minister, Congressional Speaker Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi is described as a person of “cunning and forceful intelligence” who “listened more than she spoke” and referred to Dr. Singh when questions of policy arose. Rahul Gandhi, Obama writes, “seemed smart and serious.”
The former president of the United States also recalls wondering after dinner what would happen when he left office: “Would the baton be successfully passed to Rahul, fulfilling the destiny set by his mother and preserving the congressional party’s dominance over divisive nationalism promoted by the BJP?? “
Tharoor tweeted: “It’s hard to imagine that Sanghis who have rejoiced on social media over a line from the memoirs feel very comfortable with these reflections. They offer a preview of what Vol. 2 is likely to tell us about India. in a post-Manmohan Singh era, when Obama returned. “
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