Mr. Chidambaram defended Mr. Mukherjee for his decision to attend an RSS event (Archive)
New Delhi:
Congressional leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram described former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away today, as a leader with great memory, versatility, adaptability, resilience and the ability to “pick up on sensitive issues very quickly.” In a telephone interview with NDTV, Mr. Chidambaram shared his “bitter and sweet” memories of the Bharat Ratna awardee, including an incident that he called “a moving moment”.
“There are many memories – some sweet, some bitter – from a political angle. I worked very closely with him from 2004 to 2014 … during this period he had a variety of wallets … I was always struck by his phenomenal memory, his ability to understand difficult problems very quickly, go to the root of the problem and then find solutions, “said Chidambaram.
He said Mukherjee, despite his vast experience, would value the opinions of others, including his junior leaders.
Chidambaram, who was Mukherjee’s cabinet colleague in both UPA governments, recalled an incident in 1991 when the leader was ignored for a cabinet position.
“In 1991, I expected to be included in the cabinet of Narasimha Rao (former prime minister). I was sitting across from him in his office. And then the list was published and he was not there,” he recalled.
“He was so shocked and I was even more shocked. I couldn’t solve the mystery of why he wasn’t included in the cabinet … that moment was a moving moment when there was complete surprise on my face and he was completely dumbfounded. Why, after working long hours on the election campaign, was he not admitted? He said, adding that Mukherjee was forced with several portfolios later.
Chidambaram defended Mukherjee for his decision to attend an event at RSS headquarters in 2018.
“I had friends across the aisle. I had friends at a lot of parties. He had maintained those relationships through thick and thin. When he visited the headquarters of Congress, as a congressman, he disappointed me. But technically he had taken the opportunity to be president. And when he became president, he had left politics. When he visited RSS headquarters, he was a former congressman and an apolitical person. However, I would not have done the same if he was in his position, “added Mr. Chidambaram.
Pranab Mukherjee, who tested positive for coronavirus, had been in a coma after brain surgery earlier this month. He died today, aged 84. The Center has announced seven days of state mourning for the former president.
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