With ample time at his disposal after exit as Union Home Minister post-26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Shivraj Patil is busy writing his memoirs.
However, a word of caution from the author himself: The tome won't contain any spicy tidbits from the man who occupied prominent positions at
national level, including Union minister and Lok Sabha Speaker.
"My autobiography is not aimed at defending myself, nor is it an exercise in criticising anyone. It will be about policies formulated, implemented and difficulties encountered while doing so," 74-year-old Patil told PTI.
The senior Congress leader is busy "rewriting" portions of the book, whose handwritten manuscript is around 1,000 pages.
Asked if it would be published next year, Patil said "there is no time-frame. It can be published anytime."
"It is a balanced book. I have worked at local, state and national levels. The book is a record of my tenure in these levels of government and politics. It would also contain a little about my personal life and dwell on my experiences as President of a Municipality and a Minister in State and central governments," he said.
"Had saheb (Patil) wanted, he could have secured a gubernatorial assignment offered by the party leadership. However, it would have meant leaving active politics which his supporters did not want," a supporter of the former Union Home Minister said.
"It is rare to find a person of such impeccable credentials and character in national politics today," he added.
Meanwhile, Shivraj Patil has praised R R Patil as a "young and enthusiastic man who did all he could have done" during his earlier stint as Maharashtra Home Minister.