Nehru rejected offer to make Nepal a province of India, writes Pranab in his autobiography

New Delhi: India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru rejected offer of including Nepal as a province of India, says late President Pranab Mukherjee in his autobiography, “The Presidential Years.”

However, he adds that “had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim”.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee made these comments in his memoir “The Presidential Years, 2012-2017” which he wrote before his death last year. The book released on Tuesday.

The book had also triggered a public spat between his son and daughter over its release.

Pranab’s son Abhijit Mukherjee had taken to Twitter, asking the publishers to let him vet the book before it goes for final printing. On the other hand, his sister asked him not to create any hurdles in the release of book.

“After the Rana rule was replaced by the monarchy in Nepal, he wished for democracy to take root. Interestingly, Nepal’s king, Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, had suggested to Nehru that Nepal be made a province of India. But Nehru rejected the offer on the grounds that Nepal was an independent nation and must remain so,” a leading portal quotes late President’s remarks in the new book.

“Had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim,” late president wrote further.

On Congress debacle in 2014 polls

“It was difficult to believe that the Congress had managed to win just 44 seats. The Congress is a national institution interlinked with people’s lives. Its future is always a concern of every thinking individual,” Pranab wrote in the book, published by Rupa Publications.

“I feel the party failed to recognise the end of its charismatic leadership. Tall leaders like Pandit Nehru ensured that India, unlike Pakistan, survived and developed into a strong and stable nation. Sadly, such extraordinary leaders are not there anymore, reducing the establishment to a government of averages,” he wrote.

On Kejriwal’s ‘dharna politics’

On Kejriwal, Mukherjee says the Delhi Chief Minister and his deputy sought his advice once on the quality of education in schools.

“I used one of these occasions to speak my mind to Kejriwal on his penchant for sitting on dharna over frivolous issues. He had been prone to take to the streets to highlight various concerns. I told him that, while all this was fine when he was an activist, if he persisted with the same strategy as CM, it would not add to the dignity of the high office he occupied. I advised that it was important for him to maintain that dignity,” he writes in the book.