Narendra Modi "Earned, Achieved'' Prime Ministership: Pranab Mukherjee In Book

The decisive mandate the BJP got in two consecutive general elections in 2014 and 2019 indicated voters' preference for political stability, according to former president Pranab Mukherjee, who said Narendra Modi "earned and achieved" the prime ministership.

Mr Mukherjee also said in his memoir that Narendra Modi became prime minister "through popular choice" unlike Manmohan Singh "who was offered the post by Sonia Gandhi".

Every general election has its "importance because the issues that are debated during the polls reflect the various views and perceptions of the electorate", Mr Mukherjee wrote in his memoir "The Presidential Years, 2012-2017" which he completed before his death last year.

"The 2014 verdict was historic for two reasons. First, after three decades, a contesting political party received a decisive mandate instead of a fractured one," he wrote.

The second reason, he said, is that the BJP emerged with a simple majority on its own in the Lok Sabha for the first time and was thus able to form the government, though it still did so by co-opting its allies.

"But the real winner was the electorate that came out in large numbers and voted decisively, thus indicating its preference for political stability, which it believed would result in development-oriented politics," the former Congress stalwart and union minister wrote in the book, which was released on Tuesday.

Mr Mukherjee said he was also of the belief that people were dejected with coalitions and the behaviour of political parties changing sides for parochial gains. "Coalitions are often formed with the only common agenda of blocking a particular party or individual from coming to power."

Comparing PM Modi with Mr Singh, Mukherjee said the route to prime ministership for the two prime ministers he worked with was very different. Mr Mukherjee, who was the president from July 25, 2012 to July 25, 2017, had worked with both the prime ministers during his tenure.

"Dr Singh was offered the post by Sonia Gandhi; she had been chosen as the prime ministerial candidate by the Congress Parliamentary Party and other constituents of the UPA, but she declined the offer," he wrote.

"Modi, on the other hand, became PM through popular choice after leading the BJP to a historic victory in 2014. He is a politician to the core and had been named the BJP's prime ministerial candidate as the party went into campaign mode. He was then Gujarat''s CM and had built an image that seemed to click with the masses. He has earned and achieved the prime ministership," he added.