Sonia Gandhi’s memoir: Indira’s temper, kidnapping claim, Rahul’s fears and 4 more revelations

Dubai: A senior Congress leader ordered to stand facing a wall. A frightened young bride watching her powerful mother-in-law lose her temper. A bitter family feud that led to a kidnapping accusation. And two children desperately trying to stop their mother from becoming India’s prime minister.

These are among the extraordinary revelations in Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on Tuesday, offering a rare glimpse into the private lives, political struggles and personal tragedies of India’s most famous political dynasty.

According to excerpts published by IANS, ANI and Times of India, the 544-page memoir, published by HarperCollins India, also reveals Sonia’s strained relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the emotional turmoil behind her decision to reject India’s top political office in 2004.

Now 79 and famously private, Sonia Gandhi has opened up about her extraordinary journey in a memoir released on November 10, offering a deeply personal account of a life shaped by “love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong”.

Here are seven striking revelations.

According to excerpts reported by Times of India, Sonia recalls being frightened by her mother-in-law’s sudden explosions of anger during her early years as Rajiv Gandhi’s wife.

In one incident, Indira ordered a staff member who repeatedly forgot an appointment to stand in a corner. On another occasion, Sonia encountered a senior Congress figure standing motionless, facing a wall, apparently as punishment.

Indira could also ignore people for days or push away her dinner plate in anger.

“But until I got to know her well, I’d quake in my seat,” Sonia writes.

Rajiv would reassure her that his mother’s anger would quickly pass. Sonia says Indira generally regretted her outbursts, although she rarely forgave those she believed had betrayed her.

One of the memoir’s most dramatic accounts concerns the bitter fallout between Indira Gandhi and her younger daughter-in-law, Maneka Gandhi, following Sanjay Gandhi’s death in 1980.

According to Sonia, Maneka wanted a political position, but Indira considered her too young and believed she should concentrate on raising her infant son, Varun.

Their relationship deteriorated, eventually leading to Maneka leaving the family residence.

Sonia claims Indira desperately wanted to see her grandson but was repeatedly denied access, prompting legal proceedings.

When Sonia delivered birthday gifts to Varun’s nursery school, Maneka allegedly accused her of attempting to kidnap the child.

The account reflects Sonia’s version of the bitter family dispute.

Sonia reveals that her children strongly opposed her becoming prime minister after Congress’s unexpected victory in the 2004 general election.

Having witnessed the assassinations of their grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka feared losing their mother too.

When Sonia appeared to accept the post following intense pressure from alliance leaders, her children confronted her.

“Both of them came striding towards me with perturbed expressions on their faces,” she recalls.

Sonia describes them as her protectors following Rajiv’s assassination.

She eventually rejected the position, saying her inner voice would not allow her to accept it.

Sonia reveals that she had desperately opposed Rajiv Gandhi entering politics, fearing the dangers associated with public life.

“Two decades earlier, I had begged Rajiv not to enter politics, not to throw himself and all of us into that menacing world,” she writes.

But when Rahul decided to contest the 2004 election from Amethi, she did not stand in his way.

“This time I did not resist it,” she says.

According to Sonia, Rahul had developed a longstanding interest in politics and understood the risks associated with following his father’s path.

Sonia offers an unusually personal account of her interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying they have barely spoken despite years of attending official functions together.

She claims Modi generally greets her with a formal namaste but avoids sustained eye contact.

“He tends to look away, avoiding eye contact,” she writes.

She contrasts this with the cordial relationships that political rivals maintained in earlier decades.

However, she acknowledges that Modi has occasionally enquired about her health following hospital treatment and that they have exchanged formal greetings.

Sonia reveals why she selected Manmohan Singh to lead the Congress-led government in 2004 despite several senior party leaders being potential candidates.

She describes Singh as an economist of exceptional ability, unquestionable integrity and deep administrative experience.

Importantly, he was not associated with any particular faction within Congress.

“I knew that our beloved country would be safe in his hands,” she writes.

Sonia recalls that Singh initially hesitated when approached about becoming prime minister but eventually agreed.

His appointment began a decade of Congress-led government under the United Progressive Alliance.

Sonia recounts witnessing Indira Gandhi’s emotional reaction to footage of the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the controversial 1984 military operation at Amritsar’s Golden Temple.

She describes seeing tears on her mother-in-law’s face, which she interpreted as expressions of pain and regret over the destruction and loss of life.

The account has triggered criticism from political opponents, who question whether Sonia’s recollections amount to evidence of genuine remorse.

The memoir has already sparked political controversy.

BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan accused Sonia of attempting to sanitise the Nehru-Gandhi family’s record, suggesting the book should have been titled Whitewashing.

He challenged her treatment of the Emergency, Operation Blue Star and the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.

The Aam Aadmi Party also questioned her account of Indira Gandhi’s remorse, describing it as hearsay that could not be independently verified.

-- With additional inputs from IANS & ANI