New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi’s first meeting with Indira Gandhi was quite a moment. Sonia had been in love with Rajiv Gandhi for a year before she found out about the prestigious political family he came from. Rajiv had not told her that he was the son of former prime minister Indira Gandhi or the grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru.
That day, Sonia was nervous. But Indira Gandhi, who knew Sonia was not comfortable speaking English, chose to speak to her in French. Sonia responded in the same language.
“Indira Gandhi did not judge her in any way,” journalist and author Rasheed Kidwai told ThePrint. Kidwai had written the first biography of Sonia Gandhi in 2003 titled Sonia: A Biography.
Friendship with Bachchans
One of the biggest misconceptions about Sonia Gandhi, Kidwai argued, has been the repeated questioning of her Indianness because of her Italian origin.
He said she had spent decades trying to make India her home and was deeply disturbed by questions about her nationality and belonging, including from within the Congress.
Her autobiography’s title, Belonging, reflects this connection, he said.
Kidwai also shared an incident during Sonia’s visit to Tirupati.
“When she was asked to state her religion in a register. She wrote that she followed the faith of her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, and her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi,” Kidwai recalled.
She arrived in January 1968 and married Rajiv the following month. Her early days in India, Kidwai said, were marked by friendships and a warmth that extended beyond the Gandhi family.
Sonia was particularly close to the Bachchans. She considered Amitabh and Ajitabh Bachchan her brothers, while Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi shared a friendship with the family. The group would often meet socially, including trips to India Gate for ice cream. Actor Kabir Bedi and Adil Shahryar were also part of their circle.
Kidwai recalled an interview Sonia gave to the Hindi magazine Dharmayug in which she spoke about having three mothers — her biological mother, Indira Gandhi and Teji Bachchan.
Teji Bachchan, wife of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, helped Sonia learn Hindi and settle into her new surroundings.
“Teji Bachchan and Indira Gandhi gave her the culture of India. They treated her like a daughter,” Kidwai said.
‘A first-class graduate of the University of Life’
Kidwai, who wrote Sonia: A Biography, said his interest in Sonia Gandhi began during his early years as a political journalist. He started his career around 1989-90 and was working with National Herald when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991.
He recalled meeting Sonia when the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was being set up. She was grieving and surrounded by people, but struck him as a serious and unusual personality.
The day after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution inviting Sonia to take charge of the party. She was not even a Congress member at the time. But she declined.
Kidwai said the offer was made again in 2004, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance came to power. Sonia Gandhi once again chose not to become prime minister and instead backed Manmohan Singh for the post.
For Kidwai, the decisions reflected one of her defining characteristics — the ability to make difficult choices about herself without allowing personal ambition to take over.
He also believes Sonia Gandhi’s political abilities have often been underestimated.
“She is not an MA or a PhD, but I always say she is a first-class graduate of the University of Life,” he said.
Kidwai cited her ability to build consensus within the Congress and bring together political allies, including leaders who had opposed her in the past. He recalled how Sharad Pawar, who had left the Congress in 1999 over her foreign origin, later became an ally in the UPA.
He also recalled conversations with BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti, who, he said, acknowledged Sonia Gandhi’s political abilities.
According to Kidwai, Sonia’s strength lay in her ability to consult widely before making decisions. He described her approach as the Japanese method of maximum consultation, in which she would speak to several people before arriving at a conclusion.
Also read: Agreed to become PM, then changed my mind: Sonia Gandhi talks key life moments
The question of belonging
Kidwai said his book was based on independent research and did not have the kind of personal access that Sonia’s own account would offer.
One relationship he hopes readers will look at beyond politics is Sonia Gandhi’s friendship with the Bachchan family.
“The differences that eventually emerged between the two families were often viewed through a political lens, but the relationship had begun as a personal friendship. I am waiting for her story,” he said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
Gosh. No amount of archival PR and puff pieces will change the reality on the ground. These endless attempts to launder dynastic nostalgia reminds me of a song by Armin van Buuren: “Blah Blah Blah.”
All she ever says is Blah Blah Blah,
And all we ever mark as Lie Lie Lie!
All you ever print is Blah Blah Blah,
And all we ever say is Bye Bye Bye!
All she ever says is Blah Blah Blah,
And all we ever drop is Pass Pass Pass!
All you ever print is Blah Blah Blah,
And all we ever call is Farce Farce Farce!
All she ever says is Blah Blah Blah,
And all we ever give is Zero Zero Zero!
All you ever print is Blah Blah Blah,
Trying to launder up a Hero Hero Hero!