Sonia was ‘shocked’ by Pranab’s ‘long-held desire’ to be PM; his daughter asks why

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has recalled how Pranab Mukherjee hinted at his ambition to become prime minister during a 2010 conversation, leaving her “shocked”. Her account in her memoir has drawn a sharp response from Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmishtha, who questioned Sonia’s reaction, saying there was nothing wrong with her father aspiring for the top post. Sonia also revisits her 2004 decision to decline the prime minister’s post.