Congress today sought to steer clear of M L Fotedar's claim that Indira Gandhi spoke of her granddaughter Priyanka as her virtual political heir shortly before her death.
"It is a personal talk between Indira Gandhi and Fotedar. What we can say about it," party leader Digvijay Singh remarked when asked his reaction on the issue.
In his book "The Chinar Leaves", Fotedar, who is a senior Congress leader, has claimed that Indira Gandhi during her visit to Srinagar in October 1984 had shared her premonition with him that she may not live long.
Indira clearly mentioned her preference to have Priyanka groomed to assume reins of the party, predicting that "she will shine and the next century will be hers", Fotedar writes in the book.
Fotedar quoted the former Prime Minister who had premonitions about her end being near, as saying to him, "People will see me in her."
Another leader Anand Sharma, who is a senior party spokesman, too spoke in similar vein like Singh.
"I am not privy to what was discussed among them (Indira and Fotedar)... It is very difficult to make any informed comment on it," he remarked.
