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.
BJP wants to reject Dynasties and Dynastic politics – what about Rajnath Singh’s son in UP Assembly? What about Biduri’s relatives? What about Vasundhara Raje’s son? What about Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s son in MP?
BJP is advocating Congress-mukt Bharat. Agreed. But it is also advocating autocracy of BJP-ruled Bharat where it wants no opposition to its so-called ‘Development’ policies.
BJP, at one point of time, accused Congress of harbouring Sant Bhindranwale. But what is it doing in India today – it is turning a blind eye towards “extremist” and “anti-national” vigilante groups to garner votes. It is harbouring these groups that will go out of its control.
Lastly, is it the ‘Hindutva’ sanskar to take personal jibes at RaGa and SoGa? The personal comments on Sonia Gandhi are definitely avoidable. The aggressive spokespersons of BJP might say that Congress did the same to NaMo with its Chaiwallah comment and hence it has the right to retort back. Then, what is the difference between BJP and Congress? NOTHING……..Absolutely, nothing!
Sir this youth parliament was knowledge based step…. It was brought to increase knowledge on ROP..RULE OF PROCEDURE…. dont turn this into political issue…. Even other party members are supporting it…
There is little empirical evidence that such coarse, ugly rhetoric translates into electoral success. An incumbent will always be judged by results delivered.