Natwar Singh, former Congress leader, told NDTV today that "50 Congressmen" called him to congratulate him for "telling the truth" in his new book.
Natwar Singh, former Congress leader, told NDTV today that the strong reaction from Sonia Gandhi to his new book, proves that it "has touched a raw nerve." (
Rahul Asked Sonia Not to be PM, Claims Ex-Congressman Natwar Singh)
He claims that "50 Congressmen" called him to congratulate him for "telling the truth" in his new book.
Mr Singh described Mrs Gandhi's son, Rahul, as "a good person" but said he does not have the fire needed to serve as a full-time politician.
Mrs Gandhi, the Congress president, told NDTV on Thursday, "I will write my own book ...the only way the truth will come out is if I write." (
'Will Write My Own Book': Sonia Gandhi Responds to Natwar Singh's Comments)
She was reacting to the retinue of charges levelled against her by Mr Singh in his new book,
One Life to Love, in which he describes her as "venomous", "obsessively suspicious" and "a
prima donna who was treated like royalty from the day she stepped in to India." (
Don't Exploit Private Talks: Manmohan Singh)
Mr Singh, 83, said he looks forward to reading his former boss' book.
Mr Singh was a close confidante of the Gandhi family; when the Congress-led coalition came to power in 2004, he was made Foreign Minister but was forced to quit a year later after allegations of corruption. (
Natwar Singh Rakes up Sonia Gandhi's Italian Origin)
He has denied any wrongdoing, and says that Mrs Gandhi did not intervene because she was told by advisers that her proximity to him would allow critics to allege that he was acting on her behalf in siphoning money.
In a swipe at Mrs Gandhi's Italian roots, a point raised in the past against her by the opposition, Mr Singh said, "No Indian would have treated me this way."
He described her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated, as "a wonderful human being." (
Rajiv Gandhi Wouldn't Have Done What Sonia Did to Me: Natwar Singh to NDTV)
Flaying Mrs Gandhi's refusal to give him a chance to counter the allegations of corruption against him, he said, "We have a tradition that people who are older than you...you give them regard....anyone not born in India would not know this."
Mr Singh, however, was clear that without the Gandhis as its anchor, the Congress will disintegrate into "five factions." He said, "For the last 15 years, Sonia Gandhi has held the party together."
Led by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress patented its worst performance ever in the recent national election. "For politics, you must have fire in your belly. I don't think he has that fire," Mr Singh said.
The charges that shot down his political career were that his son paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussain's government to buy Iraqi oil.
The Oil-for-Food program permitted Iraq, which was under UN sanctions, to sell enough oil to pay for food and other essentials, but the UN programme was seeped in corruption.