Some leaders are 'accidental', foisted into position by others: Goa Governor

In a veiled attack on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha on Friday said some leaders are "accidental" and "foisted into the position by others" without giving much thought whether the leader "understands issues".

The comment came amidst an ongoing controversy surrounding the movie 'The Accidental Prime Minister', which is based on the life of the former Prime Minister.

"First of all, let us think about how many types of leaders are there... I felt, when I was concentrating in the morning, that some leaders are accidental. They are made (leaders) all of a sudden," she said at a function organised by the Goa Institute of Management at a women's leadership forum 'Pathways to Resilient Leadership' here.

"There are many types of leaders, some of them are even accidental, and are foisted into the position by others," the Governor added.

Clearly referring to Singh, who was the Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, Sinha said, "In appointing an 'accidental leader', much thought is not given to whether the leader understands issues, studies or analyses them and that only 'certain compulsions' matter," she added.

Singh became the Prime Minister after Congress chief and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi refused to take the mantle.