NEW DELHI, Jan 6: Indian Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had rejected Nepal king Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah's offer that the Himalayan nation be made a province of India, late President Pranab Mukherjee has claimed in his much-talked-about autobiography "The Presidential Years, 2012-2017" , according to Indian media reports.

In chapter 11 of the book, under the heading “My Prime Ministers: Different Styles, Different Temperaments”, the Indian former president who died of COVID-19 last year, however, writes that “had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim.”

Nehru dealt with Nepal very diplomatically, Mukherjee writes in his book. "After the Rana rule was replaced by the monarchy in Nepal, he wished for democracy to take root. Interestingly, Nepal’s king, Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, had suggested to Nehru that Nepal be made a province of India. But Nehru rejected the offer on the grounds that Nepal was an independent nation and must remain so,” Mukherjee writes.

“Had Indira Gandhi been in Nehru’s place, she would have perhaps seized upon the opportunity, like she did with Sikkim.” 

The book which Mukherjee completed before his death last year. The book, published by Rupa Publications, was released on Tuesday.

 
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