'My career was made and unmade by the Gandhis,’ says veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar

"The irony of my life is that my political career was made by the Gandhis and unmade by the Gandhis," Aiyar remarked.

Limited direct engagement with the Gandhi family

In an exclusive interview with PTI, the 83-year-old leader reflected on his limited personal interactions with key members of the Gandhi family over the years.

"For 10 years, I was not given an opportunity to meet Sonia Gandhi one-on-one. I was not given an opportunity, except once, of spending any meaningful time with Rahul Gandhi. And I have not spent time with Priyanka except on one occasion, no, two occasions," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Despite the limited interaction, Aiyar noted that Priyanka Gandhi occasionally called him, maintaining a semblance of contact. However, he described their interactions as sporadic and not deeply meaningful.

Relied on Priyanka Gandhi during suspension

Recalling a specific instance, Aiyar shared how he depended on Priyanka Gandhi to convey birthday wishes to Rahul Gandhi during a period when he was suspended from the party.

"I happened to meet her (Priyanka Gandhi), and she's always been very kind to me," he said. "And I thought that since Rahul's birthday was in June, I could ask her to convey my greetings to Rahul."

When Priyanka Gandhi asked why he wasn’t reaching out to Rahul directly, he explained, "I am suspended and therefore I can't talk to my leader."

Following this, Aiyar wrote a letter to Rahul Gandhi, combining his birthday greetings with a request for clarity regarding his suspension.

However, he lamented, "I never got any acknowledgement for that letter."

2012: A year of leadership crisis in Congress

Reflecting on a pivotal period in 2012, Mr Aiyar described it as a time of dual crises for the Congress party. Sonia Gandhi’s ill health and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s bypass surgeries left the party and government in a leadership vacuum.

"You see, in 2012, we had two disasters taking place: one was that Sonia Gandhi fell very ill, and Dr Manmohan Singh had six bypasses. So, we were crippled at the head of the government and at the head of the party," he remarked.

Pranab Mukherjee: A missed opportunity

Despite the challenges, Aiyar believed there was one individual who could have filled the void and led both the party and the government.

"But there was one man who was still full of energy, full of ideas, had a certain amount of charisma, and could have run either the party or the government or even both. And that was Pranab Mukherjee," Aiyar said.

He expressed regret that the Congress did not fully utilise Mukherjee’s potential during this critical period, highlighting a missed opportunity for the party to navigate through its challenges effectively.