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Pranab Mukherjee's Offspring: Fighting Over Father's Book

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-12-16 07:45:56

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

This is one sibling war that should not have taken place. Late Pranab Mukherjee's son and daughter are fighting over whether the last installment of his memoirs, "The Presidential Years" should be published as per the submitted manuscript, published after vetting or should not be published at all. His son Abhijeet has tweeted that they should not be published before they are vetted by him. Daughter Sharmistha has said there is no need for that and the publisher can go ahead with the publication.

This is unfortunate. Any publisher accepts a manuscript with an express understanding that the core matter will not be changed without the written permission of the author. All editorial changes also generally need to be confirmed by the author. One is sure that before his death, Pranab Mukherjee must have done all that in consultation with the editors of the publisher. Hence, there is no need for any one, including the late author's son, to vet the material or stop the publication.

Abhijit Mukherjee is irked that the publishers are releasing what he calls "motivated excerpts" from the book (referring perhaps to Pranab Mukherjee's pointed observations of why the Congress suffered a debacle in 2014). Mukherjee should know these are accepted marketing tactics worldwide now. Excerpts and even whole chapters are released or published in the media to generate curiosity about the book and help notch up better sales.

If Pranab Mukherjee had written what is being released as excerpts (which he must have because no publisher will release such material for which it can be sued) than there is nothing wrong with that. The publishers are creating a buzz around the book which will make people buy it. One thinks that being a member of the Congress party, Abhijit thinks this will lower his stock in the party but that does not give him the right to demand to vet his father's work.

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