Sonia Gandhi is the longest-serving president of the Congress party, which has governed India during most of its post-Independence decades. She was born in Italy, and educated at Cambridge University, where she met Rajiv Gandhi, who was then the son of prime minister Indira Gandhi. The two married in 1968.
After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, during campaigning for that year’s general elections, Sonia Gandhi initially stayed away from politics, but in 1998, she was chosen as the president of the Congress party. Under her leadership, in 2004, a Congress-led coalition came to power at the Centre. She famously declined to be prime minister — her foreign birth had become a politically controversial issue — and instead chose the economist Manmohan Singh. She was then named the chairperson of the coalition, which was called the United Progressive Alliance or the UPA.
Sonia Gandhi won her first Lok Sabha election in 1999, representing Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, a family stronghold. From 2004, she has represented Rae Bareli as an MP in the Lok Sabha. In 2024, she announced she was contesting elections from the Rajya Sabha, the indirectly elected house of Parliament, signalling her stepping back from electoral politics.
So don’t go ballistic when we call Congress Ma-Beta Party. This is nothing to laugh at. Spineless second class congress leaders should take note of this. Many career politicians in Congress including the late Dr. Pranab Mukherjee and others in congress could not do a thing under the family watch. When everything changes in.the world nothing changes in the congress under Ma-Beta leadership. Now the seats are being warmed up for the grand children to seed the leadership from the groomed Vadra family. Work in progress. and men at work. And the party workers and leaders, sorry suckers are looking forward to their glorious career in CWC ready to become the next set of rubber stamp in the making.
A commentator has compared the present congress to the OLD COTTON MILLS of Mumbai. The owners had no intention of reviving them, everything was done to run them to ground, because the real estate value of the scrap was so much more lucrative.
Imagine whoever can grab the assets of congress not the congress will be the real smart one.
If a peon is a source of getting things done, and the journalist could never point out such irregularities what good this journalist is. I think people do not want this “system” of getting things done. This “system’ is Congress and we do not need this “system”. If anyone can see Maharashtra events in this light, either you be part of the system or system will work against you. It works against Kangana but not Dawood.
We require a strong opposition. In current political scenario I am not hopeful about strong opposition.
As if the BJP is not full of pitiful peons. At least under the Gandhis, India was still a secular, constitutional democracy. It is now an insane Banana Republic run by the RSS, a fascist organization.
At least under the Gandhis, India was still a secular,
Indians don’t want 4 growth rate of Nehru family secularism. They would happily sacrifice secularism for development, rather than personal freedom as Chinese did.
The congress party can be revived by simply removing the Gandhis from leadership and the word “secular” from its manifesto(s). A tall order?
But real democracy can return yo India at National level, in the near/medium term only and only if the “tall order” is executed.
Views are, of course, personal.
Even as a BJP supporter and a Modiji fan – I cannot but be disappointed and sad about the idiotic Opposition we have in India . Not only are they total failures , but they are failing India also.
Dirty shysters, cheap charlatans, Lutyens lowlifes and other parasitical reprobates that skulk the swamps of Delhi for decades make up its numbers. There is nothing informed, grounded or even reasonably relevant about the constant whining and feckless carping by these rabble to call them a political Opposition.
The worst disgrace is that the so-called “Freedom Movement Party” is run by some dumb woman and her retarded man-child just because they carry the DNA of some long-dead syphilitic idealist and Gandhi confidante who happened to be India’s first PM because Gandhi “wanted him” .
Satirical yet instructive. I am really happy that Pappu and his Mama are digging their party’s graveyard. This is essential to keep their promise of Congress Mukt Bharat to BJP. I only wish BJP takes some cue from the “wisdom” of Pappu and his mama and implement it in their own party as well.
With Congress Mukt, India will be free from corruption and incompetence. With BJP Mukt, India will be free from fascism and mismanagement
Imagine Rahul is the PM of India today during this Covid crisis. There would be dead bodies all over the country waiting for the funeral. Morgues and hospitals will be overflowing with dead bodies by now.
Well, I can atleast give you that he would have shown a better record in managing the COVID issue than Modi. Feel free to use google and confirm – he had raised the threat of Corona in Feb while Modi was busy planning for Trumps rally in Ahemedabad and while Shah was busy planning the downfall of MP govt.
In general he would have done what Modi simply can’t do – get inputs from respected professionals and act on it. It’s widely accepted now that the worlds most severe lockdown in India failed in containing COVID spread and the govt also failed in using this time to create necessary infra in the health sector. Doctors till date struggle with supplies of PPEs. What the lockdown did achieve was second crippling blow to the economy. The first one ofcourse was demonitization, again a Modi creation and not from Rahul.
I liked the last sentence. Views are personal.
foolish and non intellectual
1) Pity the journalist who never realised that the FAMILY enacted the drama using pliable media who themselves have lost additional sources of income under present dispensation.
2) The veterans are not worried about congrass they are worried that the investment they have made through phone banking cannot be recovered and hence this letter writing.
3) Also the fact that the network of fake ” left liberals ” ” rent a journalist ” and “phone banking ” is getting dismantled.
4) The FAMILY is corrupt but the head of the FAMILY is more interested in proselytizing and therefore would like to remain in power to achieve
” ROME RAJYA “.
So don’t be surprised, see how desperate journalist from your own office are for congrass to come back for them to become middlemen again.
Gandhi’s are colluding with Modi and Amit Shah in ensuing a Congress mukt bharat. Sounds far fetched? Maybe, but then every single thing they are doing is just hastening the decline of the centrist party. High time a part of the Congress broke away and created a new opposition force.
Welcome to the Congress of the future!
Congress will remain the same as long as Sonia is alive. After her, Congress will disintegrate. Either way, it is good for the country. Congress party is a bunch of thieves, other parties are no better either.
The column prompts one to say that this time Gandhis have colluded with BJP.
This is a superb article. I doubt other news publications will have someone lift the veil of the Congress drama so forthrightly. In spite of being a BJP voter, I recognize the absolute necessity to have a strong, non-dynastic, national opposition party, not the current caricature. Shall look forward to more such objective articles, Mr. Singh – Yes, even those critical of actual flaws of the GOI would be welcome.
The way things have been presented in this article, the Congress First Family has been bought out by the BJP. Maybe it is true.
Congress first family takes long term view. By sitting in back ground for next one or two election and letting BJP win will result in all other parties becoming history, as they don’t have sustaining power & resources of family.
All that Family has to do is keep it’s loyalists in key positions. Nehru family is not going to sacrifice themselves for secularists, no matter how much they jump like monkeys in cage. Whatever may be the fault of Nehru family one thing is sure they are not stupid. Rahul can wait for another 10 to 15 years to be PM, when Modi & Amit Shah are gone. If secularism is gone by that time too bad so sad from family perspective.
Very well written. He is full of interesting facts about GANDHIS lead their day-to-day life! Anything can happen to others. His list of new In-Charges and their horoscope makes damned good reading. Keep it up Mr.D.K.Singh!