A fresh political controversy has erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress after BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a sharp attack on Sonia Gandhi over her role during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Trivedi accused the Congress leader of giving up the Prime Minister’s post in 2004 but continuing to exercise considerable influence over the government as a “Super PM”.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, November 11, Trivedi questioned Gandhi’s decision to decline the top constitutional position while subsequently becoming the chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC), a position that carried the rank and status of a Union Cabinet Minister.
“She gave up the post of Prime Minister and became a Super PM. You will not find such an example anywhere in the world, where someone gives up the post of Prime Minister but takes the rank of a Cabinet Minister,” Trivedi said.
The BJP leader argued that although Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister, Gandhi continued to wield significant influence over the government's functioning through her position in the advisory council. He also raised questions about the appointment in connection with the provisions governing the Office of Profit.
The remarks have come amid renewed political discussions following the release of Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, on November 10. In the book, the former Congress president revisits the circumstances surrounding her decision to turn down the Prime Minister’s position after the Congress-led alliance secured victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
According to her account, Gandhi had discussed the possibility of becoming Prime Minister with her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, before the election results. Both reportedly opposed the idea because of the traumatic assassinations of their grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and father, Rajiv Gandhi.
Gandhi recalls that senior alliance leaders subsequently urged her to accept the position. Although she initially appeared willing to reconsider, she eventually decided to remain firm on her earlier position. She later told Parliament that she would follow her “inner voice” and nominated Manmohan Singh to lead the government.
The National Advisory Council was established in 2004 to advise the UPA government on policy matters. Gandhi resigned as its chairperson and also gave up her Lok Sabha membership in 2006 amid an Office of Profit controversy. She returned as NAC chairperson in 2010 with Cabinet Minister rank and status.
Trivedi's latest remarks have brought the spotlight back on the power structure of the UPA years, adding another chapter to the ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and Congress.
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