‘I Didn’t Want Rajiv to Become PM’: Sonia Gandhi Predicts ‘Tamasha’ Over Her Book

‘I Was Totally Against Rajiv Becoming PM’: Sonia Gandhi Says Memoir Will Trigger ‘Tamasha’

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has indicated that her upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, could spark political controversy, revealing that she was strongly opposed to her husband Rajiv Gandhi becoming Prime Minister.

In a video shared on social media, Sonia said the decision to write the book stemmed from her desire to present her personal account of significant events in her life. She acknowledged that the memoir could change how some people perceive her, while others might develop a more negative opinion.

“When my husband was asked to become Prime Minister, which I was totally against,” Sonia said in the video.

Reflecting on the possible response to her book, she added that writing about personal experiences while being in public life inevitably invites debate and criticism.

“Some people may change their view about me. Some people’s view may become worse, but that’s what it is. That’s what happens when you write a book or when you are in public life. There’s bound to be a tamasha, as you would say it here,” she said.

The memoir is scheduled for publication on November 10 and is expected to explore significant personal and political milestones, from Sonia Gandhi’s childhood in Italy to her emergence as one of the Congress party’s most influential leaders.

Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir to Revisit Rajiv Gandhi’s Political Journey

Sonia Gandhi’s comments offer a glimpse into the personal experiences and difficult decisions that shaped the Nehru-Gandhi family. Her opposition to Rajiv Gandhi becoming Prime Minister has previously featured in Javier Moro’s dramatised biographical novel, Red Sari.

The book portrayed Sonia as deeply concerned about Rajiv entering the country’s highest political office, depicting her as attempting to persuade him against taking the oath. The account also described her emotional distress over his decision.

Rajiv Gandhi entered politics following the death of his younger brother, Sanjay Gandhi, in a plane crash in 1980. Following the assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in October 1984, Rajiv assumed the country’s top political office.

Sonia’s memoir is expected to offer her own perspective on these defining moments, including the personal tragedies that profoundly affected the family and her eventual involvement in public life.

Sonia Gandhi Makes Social Media Debut Ahead of Book Launch

The Congress leader shared the video on October 22, marking her debut on Instagram and X. The move represented a departure from her longstanding practice of communicating publicly through the Congress party’s official social media accounts.

The video showed Sonia receiving copies of her memoir and sharing sweets with her daughter, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. She also followed the accounts of her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka, along with the Congress party. Several senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, followed her account.

Describing the book, Sonia characterised it as a story of “love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong”.

The memoir begins with her childhood in the Veneto region of post-war Italy before tracing her move to Cambridge, where she met Rajiv Gandhi in 1965. It also recounts their marriage, her introduction to her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, and her gradual adjustment to life in India.

The narrative covers the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, which marked some of the most painful chapters in her personal life.

Sonia Gandhi’s Decision to Decline Prime Minister’s Post in 2004

Another major episode expected to feature in the memoir is Sonia Gandhi’s decision to step aside from the Prime Minister’s post after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) defeated the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2004 general election.

Despite leading the Congress back to power, Sonia chose not to become Prime Minister, paving the way for Manmohan Singh to assume the office. The decision became one of the most defining moments of her political career.

Sonia subsequently led the Congress and played a central role in the UPA government during its decade in power.

Her latest remarks about opposing Rajiv Gandhi’s elevation to the Prime Minister’s post add another dimension to the family’s complex relationship with political power. With the memoir set to hit the shelves on November 10, its account of these personal and political episodes is likely to attract considerable attention.