New Delhi, January 15: Former National Security Advisor (NSA) MK Narayanan on Tuesday lambasted veteran journalist Sanjay Baru, the former media adviser to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing him of writing a "false" and malicious book to target the ex-PM.

The sole aim of Baru's book, titled 'The Accident Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh', was to extract maximum profit. Notably, the book was written ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and a movie based on it - The Accidental Prime Minister - was released earlier this month. Anupam Kher Appeals to Authority to Stop Disruption of 'The Accidental Prime Minister' Screenings.

Referring to Baru as someone who was "not a big player", the former NSA said his book has been grossly unfair to Manmohan Singh, and was aimed at slandering the image of the former PM. He further added that Baru attempts to portray himself as a top player in the power circles during the UPA years, but "he was a nobody".

"It's a book full of lies. Eighty per cent of his claims are false. He was not a big player of the game (in the government). He was nobody," Narayanan said in a session with the Bharat Chamber of Commerce.

Narayanan, who served as the NSA between 2005-10, said Baru's work is not at all reflective of the PMO functioning in the UPA-I period. "The contents (of the book) are his own views," the former IPS officer added.

According to Narayanan, Baru had quit his post as the media adviser of Manmohan Singh not because of his differences with the Congress high command, but he was convinced that the UPA would be voted out in the upcoming polls. "He could not manage the media and ran away in 2008," the ex-NSA was reported as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2019 12:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).