New Delhi: Confirming the revelations by former Congressman Natwar Singh, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Saturday accepted that in 2004 Rahul Gandhi prevented his mother Sonia Gandhi from accepting the prime ministership because he was scared she would be killed.
Talking to a TV channel, Aiyar, whilst not questioning the veracity of Singh’s revelations,said this is only part of the truth and not the full truth.
Speaking to Karan Thapar on the programme Nothing But The Truth on Headlines Today, Aiyar accepted that Singh is telling the truth when he says that in 2004 Rahul Gandhi prevented his mother from accepting the prime ministership because he was scared she would be killed.
At the same time, Aiyar says that whilst he doesn’t question the veracity of Singh’s revelations, this is only part of the truth and not the full truth.
“There are bound to be other elements and aspects that would have also influenced Sonia Gandhi’s decision,” Aiyar told the channel in the interview.
In the interview, Aiyar also confirmed that the then Minister of State for Defence, Arun Singh, and then Army Chief, Gen Sundarji, had kept Rajiv Gandhi in the dark about the implementation of Operation Brasstacks and, as a result, although Rajiv Gandhi was both Prime Minister and Defence Minister at the time, he had no knowledge of how Operation Brasstacks was being implemented.
Speaking to the channel, Aiyar also, confirmed another important revelation by Singh i.e. the claim that days after Rajiv Gandhi’s death Sonia Gandhi had suggested that Shankar Dayal Sharma, then Vice-President, should become Congress president.
When pointed out that what Aiyar was saying was very different from the spokespersons of the Congress Party who have questioned the veracity of Singh’s revelations, Aiyar said he is not a party spokesman and is speaking simply as an individual.
Aiyar’s comments come close on the heels of certain revelations made by former foreign affairs Minister Natwar Singh in recent interviews.
The Congress has dismissed the claims. (UNI)
