Sonia Gandhi reveals why she never wanted Rajiv Gandhi to become PM

Sonia Gandhi has revealed that she was “totally against” her husband Rajiv Gandhi becoming India’s Prime Minister, offering a glimpse into the personal and political revelations readers can expect from her upcoming memoir.

The Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson said Belonging: A Journey of Love gave her a chance to share her account of events, warning the book could spark controversy.

“When my husband was asked to become Prime Minister, which I was totally against,” she said in a video shared on her social media accounts.

Explaining her decision to write the memoir, Sonia Gandhi acknowledged that readers might change their opinions of her after reading her account.

“Some people may change their view about me. Some people's view may become worse, but that's what it is,” she said.

“There’s bound to be a tamasha, as you would say it here,” she added, using the Hindi word for a commotion or spectacle.

Her account is expected to revisit defining moments in the Nehru-Gandhi family’s history, including Rajiv Gandhi’s entry into politics. These tragedies shaped the family and her own decision to decline the Prime Minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 general election.

Earlier accounts, including Javier Moro’s dramatised biographical novel The Red Sari, have featured Sonia Gandhi's opposition to her husband becoming Prime Minister. The book portrays her as seeing Rajiv Gandhi’s decision to take office as a “death sentence” and describes her attempts to persuade him not to accept the position.

A personal account of the Gandhi family

The memoir traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in Italy to her life in India, her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi and her decades at the centre of Indian politics.

The book is scheduled for publication on November 10, 2026. It is expected to revisit pivotal moments in the family’s history, including the assassinations of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

After the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 general election, Sonia Gandhi declined to become Prime Minister. She remained at the helm of the Congress and played a central role in the United Progressive Alliance government that followed.

Sonia Gandhi steps onto social media

The memoir’s promotion has coincided with a new chapter in Sonia Gandhi’s public communication. She recently joined Instagram and X, having largely relied on the Congress party’s official social media accounts for public statements and messages.

In a video shared online, she was seen receiving copies of her memoir and sharing sweets with her daughter, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

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

Her social media debut offered readers a personal glimpse of the memoir ahead of its release, while her remarks highlighted her intention to tell her story in her own words.

With inputs from ANI