Without naming Sharmistha Mukherjee’s book which is at the centre of a controversy over some revelations about Rahul Gandhi — what Pranab Mukherjee thought and noted down in his diary — Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday said every time a politician releases a book, his respect for former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit goes up. Sheila Dikshit while penning her autobiography held several rounds of conversations with friends and families to discuss what should not find a mention in the book. “All through the process, she was steadfast on the need to not sensationalise the book. Everytime a politician releases a book, my respect for Sheilaji goes up,” Pawan Khera wrote. The comment came at a time when what former president Pranab Mukherjee thought about Rahul Gandhi found its place in the public discourse — giving the impression that Pranab had some doubts about Rahul Gandhi.

“One morning, during Pranab’s usual morning walk in the Mughal Gardens (now Amrit Udyan), Rahul came to see him. Pranab disliked any interruptions during his morning walks and puja. Nevertheless, he decided to meet him. It turned out that Rahul was actually scheduled to meet Pranab later in the evening, but his (Rahul’s) office mistakenly informed him that the meeting was in the morning. I came to know about the incident from one of the ADCs. When I asked my father, he commented sardonically, ‘If Rahul’s office can’t differentiate between ‘a.m’ and ‘p.m’, how do they hope to run the PMO one day?” Sharmistha told ANI.

Pranab Mukherjee, however, thought very highly about Rahul Gandhi’s nature and found him to be very courteous. “Rahul Gandhi is very courteous and has an interest in a diverse range of subjects but moves very quickly from one subject to another. I don’t know how much he listened and absorbed, he (Rahul Gandhi) is yet to be mature politically,” Sharmistha said.

“In Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers’, Sharmistha wrote that her father told her that probably politics was not Rahul Gandhi’s calling. His lack of political understanding, frequent disappearing acts also came in the father-daughter discussion, Sharmistha said.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said Sharmistha was being used by the BJP to defame Rahul Gandhi. “Pranab Mukherjee was a senior leader & Congress did justice with his abilities. Now, why did Sharmistha ji say this? BJP always has a hidden agenda to defame a person using a third person. Rahul Gandhi is a leader with an honest image. These people (BJP) always fear Rahul Gandhi. As per a strategy, they (BJP) are defaming Rahul ji using someone like Sharmistha ji,” the Congress leader said.