New Delhi: Known for his elephantine memory, President Pranab Mukherjee today said some facts from his years in governance will be buried with him as he disclosed some accounts of turbulent years of politics between 1980-1996 in his memoir released on Thursday.
The second volume of Mukherjee's memoirs, 'The Turbulent Years: 1980-96' was released today by Vice President Hamid Ansari.
Addressing a gathering at his book release event, Mukherjee said he did not deliberately speak on matters which are highly confidential and it was for the readers to read and come to their own conclusion.
"Many people in their memoirs including Churchill (Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and many others have written many of the State facts but I had a bit conservative approach as and when facts will be released by the government that people should come to know not from somebody's account who was in the government," the President said.
He made a mention of his old habit of writing a page daily in a diary, which has some secrets.
"That is why I have advised my daughter who is the custodian of this diary that never release this. You should digitise this but never release it. If you digitise it as and when government will find it necessary to release then they will release.
"Even some time I have been confronted with but I avoided that. But I would like to stick to this view and, as I more than often say, some facts are to be buried with me and this can never be revealed and I stick to it," Mukherjee said.The basic material for the President's book has come from his own diaries.
Mukherjee has held many sensitive posts in his long public life and was bound by oath not to divulge any information he may have received as a Minister.
"It is his conviction that some facts are never to be revealed," a press release quoted him as having said.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice President Hamid Ansari, who released the memoir, said the book is a commentary on our times and the age in which we live. It has several pertinent observations on the nature of Indian polity and Indian federalism which needs to be read carefully.
Commenting on the book, Karan Singh, Member of Parliament, said the book is of great value because of the assessment of various personalities in it, description of major events of the period and the light it throws on important economic issues of that time.
He said the most fascinating aspect of the book is the description of President's political career with its remarkable ups and downs. Singh described the President as a highly intelligent, seasoned and gifted politician, blessed with tremendous memory and great intellectual stature, the release said.
