Memoir by Indian leader's aide irks amid elections
NEW DELHI (AP) — A new book by the Indian prime minister's former aide has caused a stir during national elections by suggesting the outgoing leader was never really full in charge of his government.
"The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh," by Sanjaya Baru, describes a frustrated Singh as having to compete with Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi for influence within his own Cabinet.
Singh's office says the memoir "smacks of fiction and colored views of a former adviser" gathered during Singh's first term in office.
Baru was Singh's media adviser from 2004 to 2008, and says his book does not deal with Singh's second term, which began in 2009.
The book was widely released Saturday in India.
