In ’04, Kalam had Sonia’s appointment letter ready

He almost resigned after the SC verdict in October 2005 holding as unconstitutional the presidential order dissolving Bihar Assembly. When his relatives came visiting him for over a week, he made sure that he paid from his own pocket for all their expenses.

“The Kalam Effect: My years with the President” written by P M Nair, then secretary to the President, provides several such peeks into Kalam’s mind and working style.

The media had debated “if the President had advised the Congress chief against occupying the key post”. Nair says there was no such suggestion at all from Kalam. Kalam, in fact, had an appointment letter ready for Sonia Gandhi after the 2004 Lok Sabha election results. “The President was advised to sign the letter, shake hands with her and congratulate her. Kalam was also told to ask Gandhi when she would like to be sworn in,” says the book.

Gandhi’s meeting with Kalam was fixed for 12.15 p.m. on May 18. Gandhi arrived with Manmohan Singh. “I waited in the ADC’s room, alert for the bell, armed with the letter (yet to be signed) from the President appointing her the Prime Minister of India. Minutes ticked. The bell rang. I hurried out with the papers — only to see Gandhi and Singh leaving,” recounts Nair.

Kalam then told Nair: “You told me she would come with letters of support, but she came just for discussions. She said she would come again tomorrow with the letters of support from other parties”.

The President, recalls Nair, said he had told Gandhi “why wait till tomorrow? You please come as soon as you are ready with the papers. My papers are ready for you.” The message came that Gandhi would meet the President at 8.15 p.m. on May 19.

Next day, Gandhi came along with Singh. “I waited in the anteroom. The moments ticked by. The bell rang, and I went in. The President told me that he had been informed that Manmohan Singh would be the leader of the Congress party. The letter said he was nominated as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party and as the prime ministerial candidate of the party. Letters of support from other parties were also there,” writes Nair.

Kalam once even prepared his resignation letter though he eventually decided against it. This was after the Supreme Court termed the move to dissolve the Bihar Assembly unconstitutional five months after he signed the Bill.

“A couple of days later, he said ‘Mr Nair, I have decided something… I have taken a decision according to my conscience’. I knew the paper in his pocket was what the journalistic moghuls wanted,” writes Nair.

The President was in Moscow on the first leg of his visit to Russia and Switzerland, when he received a late night call on May 23, 2005, from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In the 20-minute conversation, Singh explained the reason for requesting him to sign a proclamation dissolving the Bihar Assembly. After discussing the issue with his aides for over an hour, the President sent his assent the same night.

“What do we do?” the President asked Nair. They decided to wait for the papers which were faxed from Delhi. “Sir, please sign,” Nair told the President, who signed.

When Kalam thought the 2002 RPA ordinance didn’t quite include all the SC observations, he returned the proposal to the Cabinet for its reconsideration and advice. It was reconsidered and reiterated by the Cabinet and resubmitted to the President. It was approved.

“Kalam wanted to be constitutionally right and proper… Once the proposal is reconsidered and resubmitted in whatever from, the President is bound constitutionally to approve it,” writes Nair.