Read Bureau Chief. Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi in her memoir book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' Many important aspects related to the decision to make Dr. Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister in the year 2004 have been mentioned. He has written that due to Manmohan Singh's honesty, impeccable image, administrative experience and deep understanding of economic matters, it was considered appropriate to hand over the leadership of the country to him. Sonia Gandhi was confident that the country would be safe in the hands of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.
In a book published by HarperCollins India, Sonia Gandhi wrote that after deciding not to accept the post of Prime Minister, she was faced with the challenge of deciding who should be handed over the command of the country. Many senior leaders in the party were eligible for this post, but she considered Manmohan Singh suitable for this responsibility for a long time. He wrote that Manmohan Singh's honesty could not be questioned and he had a deep understanding of the governance system.
Experience of economic reforms became the basis of selection
Sonia Gandhi also described Manmohan Singh's economic and administrative experience as important. He wrote that in the early 1990s, while being the Finance Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government, Manmohan Singh had taken forward the process of economic reforms in the country. He was also not associated with any particular faction of Congress. Sonia hoped that her becoming the Prime Minister would remove the doubts present in the minds of the people regarding the efficiency and economic policies of the UPA government. Also, the confidence of allies will increase and economic reforms will continue.
Pranab Mukherjee's wish was also mentioned
In the book, Sonia Gandhi has also shared an incident related to senior Congress leader and former President Pranab Mukherjee. According to him, during a conversation in 2010, Mukherjee had told him that perhaps the time had come for a change in the top leadership. Sonia Gandhi interpreted this comment as an indication of her old desire to become Prime Minister. She wrote that she was surprised to hear this from Mukherjee. However, he changed the topic of conversation. According to Sonia, Pranab Mukherjee might have been disappointed, but he never expressed his displeasure.
Denied allegations of exercising power behind the scenes
Sonia Gandhi has also rejected the allegations of exercising power behind the scenes during the UPA government. She clarified that Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister and he had the responsibility of running the government, whereas as the Congress President, she looked after the functioning of the organization and the party. She could give her opinions and suggestions to the Prime Minister and even disagree with him if necessary, but it was her responsibility to respect the Prime Minister's position and his decisions.
He wrote that there was an unspoken division of responsibilities between him and the Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh handled the work of the government, while he had the responsibility of the party. Under this arrangement, a core group meeting was held every week to maintain coordination between the two. It includes Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh, A.K. Antony and Ahmed Patel were involved. Apart from this, strategy group meetings were also organized to discuss the issues to be raised in the Parliament.
Expressed displeasure over allegations of interference in government work
Sonia Gandhi has also termed as fabricated the allegations that she asked for files from the Prime Minister's Office, interfered in administrative matters and made important appointments. He wrote that what troubled him the most was the allegation of interference in government work. According to him, such interference by someone outside the government would have been inappropriate, but he did no such thing.