10 Major Revelations From Sonia Gandhi’s Memoir ‘Belonging'
Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, released in India on November 10, offers a rare personal account of her life inside the Nehru-Gandhi family and the political events she witnessed over several decades.
From the Emergency and the assassination of Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi’s death and her decision to turn down the Prime Minister’s post in 2004, the book revisits some of the most defining moments in Indian political history.
Here are 10 major revelations and personal accounts from the memoir.
1. Rahul and Priyanka did not want her to become Prime Minister
One of the most significant revelations concerns Sonia Gandhi’s decision to decline the Prime Minister’s post in 2004.
She writes that she had discussed the possibility with her children before the general election. Both Rahul and Priyanka opposed the idea because they feared for her safety after losing their grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and their father, Rajiv Gandhi, to assassinations.
2. Alliance leaders surrounded her and tried to persuade her to accept the post
Sonia describes an intense meeting with UPA leaders after the election results. When she indicated that she did not want to become Prime Minister, some leaders reportedly surrounded her and insisted that she could not take that decision.
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She writes that she felt overpowered and was unable to express herself clearly. Priyanka, who was watching from outside the room, later told Rahul that their mother was being pressured into accepting the position.
3. She spent the night thinking about Rajiv Gandhi before making her final decision
Sonia recalls lying on her husband’s side of the bed and struggling with the decision. One part of her wanted to reject the offer, while another felt responsible towards the party and the people who had voted for it.
She writes that she longed for Rajiv’s presence during that difficult night. Eventually, she told herself, “Sonia, be true to yourself.” The next morning, she informed Rahul that she would stick to her decision.
Sonia writes that she was aware that the BJP and its allies would continue to raise her Italian origin if she became Prime Minister.
She feared that the issue could create further political divisions and harm the country. She says she could not accept the position if doing so risked creating more conflict.
4. She describes the assassination of Indira Gandhi in deeply personal detail
One of the most emotional passages recalls October 31, 1984, when Indira Gandhi was shot by her security guards.
Sonia describes hearing what initially sounded like firecrackers before rushing towards the garden. She remembers seeing her mother-in-law covered in blood inside a car and accompanying her to the hospital. She also recalls the family’s grief and the confusion that followed.
Following Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Sonia was deeply worried about Rajiv entering politics and taking over as Prime Minister.
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In the memoir, she recalls pleading with him not to accept the responsibility, fearing that he too would be killed. Rajiv reportedly responded that they would kill him anyway. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on the same day his mother was assassinated. Seven years later, he was also killed.
5. She says the Emergency was a mistake and discusses Sanjay Gandhi’s influence
Sonia revisits the 1975 Emergency and the political decisions made during that period. She acknowledges that democratic rights were curtailed and discusses the pressure Indira Gandhi faced from senior colleagues. She also says that Sanjay Gandhi’s role was significant, but that he was not the only person responsible for the situation. According to her account, Indira eventually understood the consequences and took steps to address them.
6. She never wanted a political career
Despite eventually becoming the longest-serving president of the Congress, Sonia says politics was never something she wanted for herself.
She had guarded her private life for years and entered public life following the assassinations of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. She describes her eventual political involvement as a responsibility towards her family, the party and the values they stood for.
7. Her journey from Italy to India was also a process of finding belonging
The memoir takes readers back to her childhood in Italy, her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge in 1965 and their marriage in 1968.
She writes about adjusting to Indian life, learning Hindi, becoming familiar with Indian food and gradually feeling at home with the family. One of the excerpts describes how everyday meals, from tandoori chicken to dal and roti, became part of her life.
Sonia writes about the impact of losing Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and how those tragedies changed her understanding of family, duty and public responsibility.
She says heartbreak and loss pushed her into politics after years of protecting her privacy. The memoir is not only an account of political decisions but also an attempt to explain the personal experiences behind them.
8. Sonia Gandhi says she has had almost no real conversation with Narendra Modi
Despite being political opponents for more than a decade, Sonia Gandhi writes that she has had “practically no real contact” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She says their encounters are largely limited to semi-official gatherings, including meetings in the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chamber. When they meet, they exchange a formal namaste. Gandhi claims that Modi “tends to look away, avoiding eye contact”, and contrasts this with the cordial personal relationships that political rivals maintained in earlier years.
She also recalls that their brief personal exchanges have mostly been limited to formal birthday and New Year greetings. According to her account, on occasions when she returned after hospital stays, Modi asked her, “Theek hain aap?” (Are you all right?). She replied, “Jee, ab main theek hoon, shukriya” (Yes, I am fine now, thank you).
9. Her assessment of Modi’s rise through the RSS
Sonia Gandhi offers an assessment of Modi’s political journey and acknowledges that he worked his way to power within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from what she describes as an underprivileged background. However, she questions whether his early life was as humble as the image promoted by his publicity team.
She also links the ideological differences between them to what she describes as Modi’s conditioning within the RSS. Gandhi criticises what she calls an “exclusionary, hardened version of Hinduism” shaped into a political agenda. She contrasts this with the pluralistic understanding of faith and Gandhian values that she says she learnt from former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
10. Sonia Gandhi alleges damage to democracy and independent institutions under Modi government
Reflecting on the Prime Minister’s 12 years in office, she alleges that India’s social fabric, democratic institutions and independent systems have suffered “great damage”. She argues that restoring these institutions will require considerable time and sustained efforts, even after the present government leaves office.
Her remarks form part of a wider political assessment in the memoir and her interviews around its release. She also describes the ideological divide between herself and Modi as a difference between two visions of India, with her own vision centred on inclusiveness, secularism and social justice.
Belonging: A Journey of Love is published in India by HarperCollins. The 544-page memoir traces Sonia Gandhi’s life from her childhood in Italy to her decades in Indian public life.
The book had also attracted attention before its release after Penguin Random House India withdrew from publishing the Indian edition.
HarperCollins later took over. Reports at the time pointed to disagreements over proposed editorial changes, although Penguin denied that the decision was simply because the author refused edits.
