Sonia Gandhi Agreed to PM Post Under Pressure, Reveals Rahul Gandhi’s Angry Reaction

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has revealed that she had firmly decided against becoming Prime Minister after the Congress-led alliance’s electoral victory.

But faced intense pressure from senior coalition leaders to reconsider her decision. In an excerpt from her forthcoming book Belonging: A Journey of Love, published by HarperCollins India, Gandhi has described the emotional moments that ultimately led her to decline the top post and nominate Dr Manmohan Singh as her successor.

Gandhi recalled discussing the possibility of becoming Prime Minister with her children, Rahul and Priyanka, months before the election. When asked whether she would accept the position if the Congress secured victory, she responded with an emphatic no. Both her children supported her decision, having experienced the trauma of Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the brutal killing of their father, Rajiv Gandhi. They feared that occupying the country’s highest political office would expose their family to greater danger.

However, Gandhi kept her personal decision private throughout the election campaign. She said she avoided giving a clear answer whenever the question was raised publicly, as she did not want a leadership contest to emerge within the party at a crucial moment. She also believed that the person chosen to lead the government should have considerable administrative experience and an impeccable record of integrity.

Coalition leaders put pressure on Sonia Gandhi

In the book excerpt, Gandhi describes how leaders of the alliance visited her residence to persuade her to accept the Prime Minister’s position. During the meeting, several leaders spoke for more than an hour, urging her to change her mind.

When she finally expressed her refusal, the leaders reportedly surrounded her and insisted that they would not accept her decision. Feeling overwhelmed by their forceful approach, Gandhi said a barely audible “Theek hai”. The leaders interpreted her response as consent and began congratulating her before she could clarify her position.

The incident left her deeply distressed. Rahul Gandhi reacted angrily when he learnt that she had apparently agreed to become Prime Minister. Sonia told him that she had been pressured and had never wanted the position. Priyanka Gandhi also urged her mother not to give in to pressure and to follow the decision she had already made.

Why Sonia Gandhi decided against becoming PM

Gandhi wrote that she was concerned about the possible consequences of accepting the post, particularly the political controversy surrounding her foreign origin. She believed the BJP and its allies would continue to raise the issue, potentially creating divisions and overshadowing the government’s work.

She also said her political journey had been driven by a sense of duty towards her husband, her mother-in-law and the Congress workers, as well as a desire to protect India’s secular foundations. Gandhi feared that accepting the Prime Minister’s position could trigger political tensions that would hurt the country she loved.

After a night of emotional turmoil, she went to Rahul’s room the following morning and told him that she had decided to stick to her original stand. Rahul embraced her and told her that she had made the right choice.

Sonia Gandhi announces Manmohan Singh as her successor

Gandhi also recalled the dramatic Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, where party MPs once again urged her to become Prime Minister. Despite their emotional appeals and repeated protests, she stood by her decision.

In her address, she declared that the Prime Minister’s office had never been her ambition and that she was following her inner voice by declining the position. She emphasised that her priority was to defend India’s secular values and work for the country’s poor.

After reiterating that she would not reconsider, Gandhi asked the MPs to allow her to name her successor. She then announced Dr Manmohan Singh as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. The announcement was met with applause, slogans and tears among party members.

Gandhi said the moment marked the end of an emotionally difficult episode, as she stepped aside from the leadership role and paved the way for Manmohan Singh to become Prime Minister.