In his latest book A Maverick in Politics, Mani Shankar Aiyar argues that in 2012, Pranab Mukherjee should have been appointed Prime Minister while Manmohan Singh should have been elevated to President. Aiyar believes this decision could have prevented the paralysis of governance that plagued the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and potentially secured a better future for the Congress Party.Aiyar reflects that the choice to keep Singh as Prime Minister and move Mukherjee to the Rashtrapati Bhawan “doomed” any chance of forming UPA-III. He points out that the prime minister’s declining health and lack of governance, alongside the absence of a clear direction within the Congress party, led to a period of inaction.Aiyar further cites Mukherjee’s own memoirs, which indicate that a similar course of action was under consideration, but ultimately, the decision was made to retain Singh as Prime Minister. This move, Aiyar believes, significantly contributed to the Congress’s downfall in the 2014 general elections, where the party’s seat count plummeted from 404 in 1984 to a mere 44.In his book, Aiyar also explores the lack of response to scandals such as the Commonwealth Games controversy and the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, which tarnished the UPA’s reputation. Aiyar argues that the failure to effectively tackle these challenges, combined with the absence of a strong, active leadership, played a pivotal role in the Congress’s historic defeat.(With inputs from PTI)
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