A widely circulated social media post alleges to recount an anecdote about Indira Gandhi from former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh’s book titled ‘One Life is Not Enough.’ According to the post, Natwar Singh wrote in his book that while at Babar’s grave in Afghanistan, Indira Gandhi asserted that ‘they were his heirs, and the country was under their control.’ In this article, we will fact-check the claim presented in the post.
Claim: At Babar’s grave in Afghanistan, Indira Gandhi asserted that ‘they were his heirs, and the country was under their control’ – Natwar Singh in his book titled ‘One Life is Not Enough’
Fact: Natwar Singh in his memoir ‘One Life Is Not Enough’ did mention about Indira Gandhi paying obeisance to Babur’s grave. Nevertheless, while recounting the incident, Natwar Singh did not ascribe the viral statements to Mrs. Gandhi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
‘One Life Is Not Enough’ is the autobiography of K. Natwar Singh, a former Minister of External Affairs, and a prominent Indian National Congress politician. In this memoir, Natwar Singh discusses Indira Gandhi’s visit to Kabul in August 1969.
Recalling an incident from the visit, Natwar Singh noted that Mrs. Gandhi paid obeisance to Babur’s grave. Nevertheless, while recounting the incident, Natwar Singh did not ascribe any comments to Mrs. Gandhi that align with the viral claim.
“She stood at the grave with her head slightly lowered and I behind her. She said to me, ‘I have had my brush with history.’ I told her I had had two. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked. I said that paying homage to Babur in the company of the Empress of India was a great honor”, wrote Natwar Singh.
Furthermore, in contrast to the viral claim, the book specifies that Indira Gandhi visited Babur’s tomb during the daytime, and the visit was not deliberate. Additionally, there are no credible reports indicating that Natwar Singh attributed the viral statements to Indira Gandhi in any of his speeches. There is also no evidence to conclude that he said so in any of his other books. Had Natwar Singh ascribed these comments to Mrs. Gandhi, the media would have reported it. Furthermore, we could not find any reports stating that Indira Gandhi asserted she was a heir of Babur.
To sum it up, in his memoir detailing her visit to Babur’s tomb, Natwar Singh did not attribute these statements to Indira Gandhi.
