Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s remarks in her memoir about Pranab Mukherjee’s prime ministerial ambitions have drawn a sharp response from the late President’s daughter, Sharmishtha Mukherjee, who questioned why her father’s aspirations should have shocked anyone.”Is it a crime to be ambitious?” she asked, reacting to Sonia’s account of an incident in 2010 when Pranab Mukherjee allegedly suggested a change of guard at the top, an indication that Sonia interpreted as an expression of his long-held ambition to become Prime Minister.In her memoir, released worldwide on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi writes that the suggestion that Pranab Mukherjee replace Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister had shocked her.Responding to the remarks, Sharmishtha said, “What’s there to get ‘shocked’ about? Is it a crime to be ambitious, especially when that ‘ambition’ was supported by decades of experience in politics and governance, hard work and a brilliant mind?”She recalled that when Pranab Mukherjee was once asked whether he wanted to become Prime Minister, he candidly replied that “any politician worth his salt has this ambition”.Defending her father’s political aspirations, Sharmishtha said he came from a humble background and achieved everything through merit and hard work.”My father came from a very humble background. Whatever he achieved in his life was through sheer merit and hard work. There was no one to serve him positions, including PM-ship, on a platter due to dynastic entitlements. If a well-deserving person harbours ambition to become Prime Minister, what’s wrong in that, unless Sonia ji was ‘shocked’ by the fact that anyone outside Gandhi-Nehru family could even dare to nurture such an ambition and furthermore dared to ‘hint’ it to her?” she asked.Sharmishtha, who has previously written a book based on her father’s diaries, also said that Pranab Mukherjee did not hold Sonia Gandhi’s response against her.”From what I read in his diaries and whatever conversation he had with me, I would like to reassure her that he DID NOT hold it against her (Sonia) or anyone else. He was a pragmatic person with deep understanding. He understood her reasons and insecurities that all human beings are prone to,” she said.Notably, Pranab Mukherjee had written in his book The Coalition Years that he had hoped to become Prime Minister in 2004 after Sonia Gandhi declined the post. However, Manmohan Singh was eventually chosen for the top job.Mukherjee also wrote that he was initially reluctant to serve under Singh, who had been his junior in the government earlier. However, he agreed to join the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government after Sonia Gandhi told him that he was indispensable to the regime.In 2007, Sonia Gandhi again retained Mukherjee in an executive role despite the Left parties backing his candidature for the post of President.Pranab Mukherjee eventually became President of India in 2012.