Mumbai: Refraining from ascribing political motive to the memoirs of Sanjaya Baru, former media adviser to the Prime Minister, which claims that Dr Manmohan Singh was "defanged" by the Congress in his second term, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday said timing of the publication was significant.
"Baru has written it obviously to record his memoirs as he saw it in his position. But the timing is very critical," said Chavan, who handled the PMO before taking over as the chief minister of Maharashtra, in an interview to PTI here.
"I will not accuse him (Baru) of having a political motive, but commercial motive, certainly," Chavan said.
"I have not seen the book yet. I have seen some extracts and some newspaper reporting on that. It will not be fair for me to comment. I haven't read the book, but the timing is obviously decided by commercial considerations," he said.
Asked if it was fair for someone who served in a senior position in the PMO to write a potentially controversial book, Chavan said, "I think it (writing the book) should not be discouraged. But it should not impact the current politics and discourse.
"It should be in the nature of history for posterity but if it is brought in to impact the current political discourse, then one could question," Chavan said.
"But as I said, I have not seen the book so I won't be able to comment on it fully," the Chief Minister said.
Commerce minister Anand Sharma also dismissed the claims of Baru as "untrue" and said Congress president Sonia Gandhi did nothing to undermine Singh's dignity.
"I can say with all truth at my command and in sincerity that this is untrue. Prime Minister's respect has always being intact. Gandhi has always upheld the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister and the sanctity of the functioning of the government and decision making," he told reporters here.
Sharma said Gandhi had never asked for any information about any file.
"...it is very difficult to believe for anyone who is part of the system and a member of the Cabinet that what is being sold to the people is not true," he added.
Reacting to the book, External Affairs minister Salman Khurshid said Singh was an "accidental" Prime Minister and there were "two" power centres at the top.
He said the 2004 Lok Sabha polls were contested under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and she was supposed to be the Prime Minister.
"But she rejected it and expressed her desire to make a cultured and intelligent person, who has a very good image in the country and world, the Prime Minister."
"Manmohan Singh was fit on these counts and he was made the Prime Minister and in this reference he could be called an accidental prime minister."
When reporters asked about two power centres, the Union minister said,"In literal meaning it is true, as being the party president the prime minister and the cabinet members are considered as under her or him."
"For administrative work there is the prime minister and on policy matters it is the party president who takes a call on that," the told reporters here.
Khurshid is contesting Lok Sabha polls from Farrukhabad.
