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.
The washed out Congress Party is now clutching at straws.
Hail the leadership of the “First Family” – Pappu Mummy jindabaad !!!!
The worst example of dynastic politics in India. But sadly, the norm all over India and across all political parties.
And if it is not a dynast at the helm, it is usually a charismatic figure like MGR, Modi, Jayalalitha, Mamta Banerjee, Mayawati etc. etc. And predictably, when the lead dynast, founder of the party or face of the party is no longer there, there is the inevitable squabblin, splits and splintering. That is the nature of Indian politics and will also happen to the BJP.
When Sonia dies, Congress will break up. And while she is alive, the party will not break up but it will be like a regional party.
“Like Rajiv Ji, Narasimha Rao Ji too had great concern for the poor of the country,” Singh said.
If that is true for Rajiv Gandhi, how come his name popped up in a German magazine with billions in Swiss bank?
At last he got recognition which he truly deserved.
Ha!! Ha!! Ha!!! Such hyprocrites… Did not even give him a decent burial when he died?
Mr Subramani: Sri PV Narasimha Rao is a Hindu and Hindues cremate their dead, not bury them. One would have expected most educated Indian to know that basic fact about Hinduism.
Beat the crying and howling dog again and again, till it die. Hope to God that it will not die.
Now the Congress leadership has no option…..But people will not forget it so easily….He was vilified and disregarded by the Congress leadership only becuase he did not kowtow the family…..The only leader who respected him was Manmohan Singh….Full respect to him for that…
Too little too late. Almost a month after TRS started celebrating PVNR’s centenary it seems that the Congress high command has woken up. Maybe out of a sense of shame or a sense that they are handing over the legacy of India’s greatest Prime Minister to the TRS and BJP. Whatever the reason PVNR will always remain one among a list of great Congressmen and women whose legacy holds no value for the party of Gandhi family retainers.