Between the lines

I am gratified by the response to my book, Between The Lines; three hard cover editions having been sold out in two months. This enhances my faith in the free dom to tell and the freedom to hear-something basic in democracy. I have no doubt that these freedoms will stay with us and we will preserve and defend them.

Both Mrs Indira Gandhi and Mrs Lalita Shastri, the wife of Lal Bahadur Shastri, have issued statements to controvert certain portions in the first chapter, "Hat Trick", which deals with the three successions from Jawaharlal Nehru to Mrs Gandhi. I have quoted Shastri as saying that Nehru wanted Mrs Gandhi to succeed him as Prime Minister. Mrs Gandhi has said: "Had this been in my father's mind, surely he would have wanted me to be elected to Parliament. However, whenever this suggestion was made he agreed that I should not go to Parliament." I do not want to join issue with her but, if I may repeat, Shastri did tell me that Nehru had his daughter in mind for his successor.