Sonia Gandhi enters social media to launch memoir

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has made her debut on Instagram, X, and Facebook to promote her upcoming autobiography, titled 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'. The 80-year-old politician predicted in her social media posts that the book, scheduled for release on November 10, will create a "tamasha". The autobiography has generated widespread national and international interest, tracing her journey as an Italian-born woman who married into India's prominent political family in 1968 and spent nearly six decades witnessing major national events.

Political Journey

Her time in India included the assassinations of her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, in 1984, and her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991. Forbes magazine ranked her as the sixth-most powerful woman in the world in 2012. She later served as the Congress party's longest-serving president for 22 years, taking over the party after replacing Sitaram Kesri. She entered active politics in 1997 when the party was struggling, led it to victory in 2004, and pushed for rights-based laws like the Right to Information and MNREGA.

The PM Decision

In 2004, Sonia chose not to become Prime Minister after the UPA won the election and President A P J Abdul Kalam had prepared the invitation letter. She appointed Dr Manmohan Singh instead, joining a small group of leaders who turned down the top post alongside Jyoti Basu and V P Singh. Natwar Singh claimed in his autobiography that Rahul Gandhi opposed her taking the post due to assassination fears. Meanwhile, the upcoming book may shed light on her decades close to power, her handling of party affairs, and her role in Indian politics.

Context

Autobiographies by prominent political figures often provide historical insights into decades of past governance and internal party dynamics. Sonia Gandhi's account spans several critical eras of modern Indian political history, from coalition governments to major economic and social shifts. Such memoirs typically draw public interest by offering a personal perspective on well-documented national events.