Manmohan was Sonia's choice as PM even in 1999

New Delhi, Oct 26: Denying that she is ''the power behind the throne,'' Congress President Sonia Gandhi says Dr Manmohan Singh was her choice for the prime ministerial post not only in 2004, but also in 1999 when the party came tantalisingly close to power.

The revelation had been made by Ms Gandhi, who paid handsome tributes to Dr Manmohan Singh for ''keeping his emotions to himself'' and by asserting that ''we are not competitors''.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, the Congress President confirmed that in 1999 she met the then President K R Narayanan to inform him that Dr Manmohan Singh would lead her party's government, if it came to power.

''Yes, that is true. In fact, I went first on my own and then with Dr Manmohan Singh,'' she said in the interview to Vir Sanghvi for NDTV's new series, 'One on One', which will be aired on Saturday night.

On Dr Manmohan Singh's reaction when told in 2004 that he was going to be the prime minister, Ms Gandhi said, ''I think he is a person who keeps his emotions to himself. Also, I suppose he was rather surprised.'' In one of her rare interviews, Ms Gandhi spoke about the decisions that had changed her political and personal life forever.

Denying that she is now "the power behind the throne", Ms. Gandhi said she enjoyed a relationship of mutual trust with the Prime Minister.

Explaining her alleged differences with the Prime Minister over the proposed hike in petrol prices, she said, "I think there was a miscommunication about the exact figure, I mean it was no problem at all...we are not competitors''.

On the ''Office of Profit'' controversy, she denied that she was behind the campaign to have Jaya Bachchan disqualified.

''There is no question about it. My nature is not a vindictive one and is not a petty one and besides I have larger issues to concentrate on than the petty ones for which I am accused." On former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and the Volcker Controversy, the Congress President remained unforgiving.

''As it became clearer that it was true, that my colleague had misused the name of the party in some ways, I felt extremely betrayed...He was a colleague in whom I had placed trust and I felt very terribly betrayed.'' The Congress President also talked candidly about the overwhelming fear that her family lived with after Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister. Her opposition to this decision was ''a mahayudh'' (grand fight) with her husband, she said.

Describing her meeting with Rajiv after Indira Gandhi was assassinated; she said, ''My husband was away... he was in West Bengal. He arrived and came straight to the hospital ...it was a very difficult moment. He did say. That is what was expected of him and I did beg him not to take that responsibility. I did say that because I thought he would be killed too. He replied 'he would be killed anyway'''.

Asked why she was never seen smiling when Rajiv gandhi was in office, she said: ''I was a little frightened. I was very shy and I was worried about my husband's safety. And I think it's not true that I never smile ...I smile...but maybe people prefer other photographs!" Ms Gandhi also revealed that she did not watch TV during the elections, how she treated the ''pizza and pasta allegations'' that were fired at her...and what she felt about being compared to a 'Jhola-carrying NGO worker'.

UNI