Former Prime Minister declines invitation to Kuldip Nayar’s book release

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refused to attend the release of late Kuldip Nayar’s last book On Leaders and Icons from Jinnah to Modi, taking offence to a reference in the book about his tenure as PM.

Declining the invitation, Mr. Singh, in a letter to Nayar’s wife Bharati, wrote that he did not agree with the bits about government files being taken to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s home.

Challenges statement

He wrote: “On going through a chapter of the book dealing with me, I found a reference on page 172 that during my Prime Ministership, government files will go to Sonia Gandhi’s house. This statement is not true and Kuldip did not check with me about its truth. In this background I would find it embarrassing to attend the book release function on February 8, 2019. I hope you will be kind enough to forgive me for this lapse.”

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, who had served in Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet, sought to put the record straight: “During my tenure as a minister neither the PM or Sonia Gandhi asked me to send any file to them.”

The book launch turned into a political slugfest with Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri, who was one of the panelists, attacking Mr. Sibal and the Congress party. “Kapil (Sibal) talked about assault on institutions. The one institution that I am familiar with, which is what India is anchored in, is the institution of democracy. And the only occasion when there has been an organised comprehensive onslaught on civil liberties was in 1975,” Mr. Puri said.

Praise from Jaitley

Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who was scheduled to release the book but is currently undergoing treatment in New York, participated via video conference.

Calling Nayar the best reporter India has produced and a powerful commentator, Mr. Jaitley said that his real test came during Emergency. “There are moments in life of every person when his greatness is really tested. And that time for Nayar was the Emergency. The journalism fraternity was looking for a leader to speak up and he became a natural choice,” he said.