In his first interview since demitting the office of the President of India, PRANAB MUKHERJEE speaks exclusively to India Today Group Editorial Director RAJ CHENGAPPA.
A. We managed the coalition of UPA-I exceedingly well. Though overall our own strength was 147 and we had more parties as coalition parties—parties from the Left, the socialists, the Samajwadi Party were supporting us from the outside —that coalition was much more cohesive, it was running, it was functioning and we could deliver good governance. But in UPA-II, the coalition did not do so.
Q. Why did things go so wrong in UPA-II?
A. One reason for the Congress downfall was that it thought that the 200 seats it won were equal to 280 seats. So the flexibility of mind and flexibility to accept others’ views was restricted. Secondly, in terms of the coalition, Mamata Banerjee departed in 2012. It was very difficult to handle her, no doubt, but at the same time we had to handle her because she had 19 Lok Sabha members, a big partner. I had fought with her, we had an open confrontation in the cabinet, she used to get very angry with me but nonetheless I could keep her in the coalition. I was elected President in July and she left the coalition in October. Also most of the major legislative initiatives, including bold decisions like the civil nuclear cooperation agreement, were taken during UPA-I. But somehow or the other, in UPA-II we appeared to have lost this steam to move ahead. We may have been tired or whatever may have been the reason, but that’s why in 2014 we lost.
Q. Did you sense that the Congress party was going to lose in 2014?
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Killer Stress
Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
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THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
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Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
