New Delhi, Sept. 28: Makhan Lal Fotedar will go down in history as a Nehru-Gandhi loyalist who died as a dissident and disillusioned man.

Fotedar's loyalty towards Indira Gandhi was absolute. It was evident in the manner in which the former Indira aide used to bow each time he passed through the Safdargunj Road-Akbar Road roundabout in Lutyen's Delhi where Indira had lived last. Indira was shot dead by her security guards inside 1, Safdargunj Road on October 31, 1984.

Thirty years later, Fotedar, who died today, had turned impatient with Indira's grandson.

In his memoirs, published a couple of years ago, Fotedar had questioned Rahul Gandhi's leadership abilities and written in Chinar Leaves: "Rahul Gandhi's leadership is unacceptable to this country and Sonia Gandhi has her best years behind her. The party has no one to provide direction. It refuses to learn."

Fotedar then went on to express his sense of dismay. "Rahul needed more exposure and grinding to become ripe for the top job. Also, there was nobody to tutor or mentor Rahul. Sonia Gandhi is not Indira Gandhi and was herself dependent on so many people for what she should do."

His writings had also made it clear that he was deeply disappointed with Sonia and the team surrounding her.

Party leaders close to Fotedar attributed his disillusionment to the veteran leader's removal as full-time member of the Congress Working Committee and informal adviser to Sonia and Rahul.

Commenting on Sonia in relation to Rahul, Fotedar had observed: "Rahul had a certain stubbornness and his motivation to become a leader was not very strong. People around Soniaji secretly did not wish him to succeed because they realised that if Rahul grew as a leader they would themselves become irrelevant.

"The dilemma before Soniaji was that, on the one hand, she could not do without her coterie, while, on the other, she had an overriding desire to see her son succeed in politics."

Some senior Congress leaders had privately said they saw some merit in Fotedar's criticism. They also confirmed that in the past few years, Fotedar was seldom given an audience at 10, Janpath, something he found disturbing.

Both Sonia and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had, however, gone to see Fotedar when he was ailing in a Delhi hospital. Sonia and Rahul today issued condolence messages acknowledging Fotedar's rich contribution to the party.

While Fotedar remained sceptical about Rahul's leadership, he had great hopes and faith in Priyanka. Fotedar had claimed that Indira had a premonition about her death just days before she was assassinated and wanted her granddaughter Priyanka to carry forward her political legacy.

In his tell-all book, Fotedar had also revealed that Indira had warned son Rajiv Gandhi against involving actor Amitabh Bachchan in politics and including Madhavrao Scindia in his cabinet.

Fotedar had said that a few days before her assassination on October 31, 1984, Indira had summoned Rajiv, the AICC general secretary then, Fotedar and Arun Nehru.

"During the course of the conversation regarding parliamentary elections, she categorically told her son two things he should never do in future," Fotedar said. "'She said: Do not ever bring Teji's son - Amitabh Bachchan - into electoral politics and do not induct Madhavrao Scindia in your cabinet if you ever become the Prime Minister.'"

Fotedar claims Rajiv heard Indira in "disbelief" without uttering a word.

The former aide of Indira and Rajiv said that when Bachchan was given a Congress ticket in the 1984 Lok Sabha polls and Scindia was made a minister subsequently, he could see Indira's reasoning for keeping both of them out.

"But since Rajivji was adamant I left it at that," Fotedar said. His autobiography is incidentally dedicated to "the memory of my leader Smt, Indira Gandhi".

Fotedar said when Bachchan was member of Parliament from Allahabad between 1985 and 1987, the actor had become extremely powerful.

"I was also getting reports about Amitabh's interference in the appointment and transfer of officers in the ministries," Fotedar said, claiming that many senior party leaders used to complain against what he described as "Amitabh's interference in administrative matters".

Fotedar had alleged that Bachchan used to interfere in matters relating to Uttar Pradesh, which was ruled by the Congress then, and beyond - "in matters concerning Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra".

Fotedar wrote: "Amitabh came to see the prime minister. They had discussions. That day around 2.45pm or so when I was about to leave for lunch, the prime minister called me. He was accompanied by Amitabh, looking charismatic as usual in a white kurta pyjama. They were walking towards 7 Race Course Road (the Prime Minister's residence). We went inside. The PM took a chair. On his right was Amitabh and I was asked to sit on his left."

"Rajivji said: 'Fotedarji wants you to resign.' That was a surprise to me - and it must have been to Amitabh also."

Fotedar records Amitabh as saying: "If Fotedarji wants me to resign, I am ready to resign. Come on, give me the papers. What do I have to write?"

Fotedar then asked Vincent George, personal assistant to Rajiv, to get a Lok Sabha member's letterhead pad. "I told Amitabh: Write in your hand to the Speaker, I resign from the Lok Sabha."

"In response, Amitabh said: 'That is it?'" wrote Fotedar. The note was sent to the Speaker and the actor's resignation was accepted.

Fotedar wrote: "The truth is that I had never discussed this matter with the PM nor had Rajivji ever discussed it with me."

Fotedar had also written that Sonia was deeply upset by Manmohan Singh's defeat in the 1999 general election from the South Delhi seat because of Arjun Singh and Sheila Dixit's alleged manipulations.

Fotedar claims Sonia had asked her political aides Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel to remove Dixit as Delhi chief minister but he (Fotedar) intervened to save Dixit's chair.