"Misconception that Manmohan Singh was puppet": Sonia Gandhi's former OSD defends her memoir as "factual"

A Journey of Love', Srivastava said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being a "puppet" was a misconception and Sonia Gandhi had clearly stated that it was not her job to run the government.

Dhiraj Kumar Srivastava, former OSD to Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday said that there has been a "misconception" built around her, stating that she did not interfere with governance during the two UPA governments. Speaking to ANI about Sonia Gandhi's memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Srivastava said that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being a "puppet" was a misconception and Sonia Gandhi had clearly stated that it was not her job to run the government.

He said, "I have seen Sonia Gandhi as a politician, as a human being, as an administrator. I think it is not possible to describe her core values in words...A misconception, a misperception was created in public that Manmohan Singh was a puppet, that the government was actually run by Sonia Gandhi. I have witnessed both terms (of the UPA government) from close quarters. I remember very clearly how, when anyone came to her with any input about the government, she used to clearly say that it was not her job to do and that we should let Manmohan Singh run the government." Defending her memoir, he said that Sonia Gandhi "practised austerity and focused only on what was right".

Srivastava said, "We had been waiting for it for a long time. Misconceptions about her were created by a particular section. Propaganda against her was spread. So, it was really necessary for her to clear things up on her own. The book has been released at a time when the entire country and the whole world get to know the truth about Sonia ji and the truth behind whatever was said about her." "Those who do politics will continue doing that. Nobody knows her humanitarian dimension better than me. Despite being on the ruling side, she practised austerity and focused only on what was right. Whatever she has stated is factual," he added.

Reflecting on the political environment during the UPA-II tenure, the book highlights the personal toll on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, stating that he maintained his dignity through a "malicious campaign" and recalling his remark that "history will be kinder to me than the media." While Congress leaders have hailed the memoir, BJP leaders calling it an attempt to "whitewash" the Gandhi family's image have sparked a political row around the book.

From the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and the 2002 Gujarat riots to the 1984 Operation Blue Star, the Emergency, the 2004 Prime Ministerial episode and the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, Gandhi's memoir has brought several politically sensitive episodes back into the spotlight. (ANI)