I was reluctant to join the UPA govt in 2004: Pranab Mukherjee

According to him, Manmohan Singh was keen that either P Chidambaram or Montek Singh Ahluwalia be the finance minister

Former president Pranab Mukherjee has said he was reluctant to join the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-I government in 2004, and had informed Congress President Sonia Gandhi about this. 

Mukherjee has spoken about his political journey, especially the UPA years in the third volume of his autobiography, The Coalition Years: 1996 to 2012. The book was launched on Friday.

On his joining the UPA-I, Mukherjee writes: “Some media commentators reported that I would not join the government because I could not work under Manmohan Singh, who had been my junior when I was the finance minister.”

At the launch on the book, Singh had