Gandhi family twice denied PM post to Pranab: Modi

In this January 7, 2013 photo, President Pranab Mukherjee meets Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr. Modi on Wednesday blamed the Gandhi family for twice denying the opportunity to Mr. Mukherjee to be the country’s Prime Minister.

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Wednesday blamed the Gandhi family for twice denying the opportunity to Pranab Mukherjee to be the country’s Prime Minister.

“When Indira Gandhi was assassinated Rajiv Gandhi was in Kolkata and he went back. Under a democracy, that time the senior-most Minister in Indira Gandhi’s government was Pranab Mukherjee. It would have been good had he been sworn in as the country’s Prime Minister,” Mr. Modi told a party rally at Brigade Parade grounds in Kolkata.

“They didn’t give it. Not only that, the family (Gandhi) felt that something is going on. So when the Rajiv Gandhi government was formed, senior-most Minister Pranabda was not even taken as a Minister,” he said.

“Again in 2004, Pranabda was the senior-most politician. It was very natural that had Sonia Gandhi not wanted to become (the PM), then the opportunity should have been given to Pranabda, but Manmohan Singhji was made (the PM). Pranabda was not given the opportunity,” Mr. Modi said.