New Delhi, Nov 2026 : Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, has triggered fresh political debate, with excerpts revealing her emotional struggle over declining the Prime Minister's post in 2004 and her recollections of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's reaction to the devastation caused by Operation Blue Star in 1984.
In the memoir, Sonia Gandhi revisits two significant episodes in India's political history: the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) victory in the 2004 general elections and the military operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar during Indira Gandhi's tenure. While her account offers a personal perspective on the events, her remarks have also drawn political reactions, particularly from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), over the legacy of Operation Blue Star and the suffering of the Sikh community.
Sonia Gandhi Recalls Why She Declined Prime Minister's Post in 2004
In an exclusive excerpt from Belonging: A Journey of Love, shared with The Indian Express courtesy of HarperCollins India, Sonia Gandhi has described the emotional turmoil she experienced after the Congress-led UPA secured victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
She recalled that the possibility of her becoming Prime Minister had been discussed within the family several months before the elections. According to her, both her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were opposed to the idea because of the traumatic experiences they had endured following the assassinations of their grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and their father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi wrote that when one of her children directly asked whether she would accept the Prime Minister's post if the Congress won the elections, she had responded emphatically that she would not.
She said Rahul and Priyanka believed that occupying the country's highest political office would expose their mother to heightened security risks. Having witnessed the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the brutal killing of Rajiv Gandhi, both were concerned about the dangers associated with the position.
During the election campaign, Sonia Gandhi said she avoided giving a clear answer whenever questions were raised publicly about her possible elevation as Prime Minister. Her immediate priority, she explained, was to keep the Congress united and prevent a leadership contest from emerging within the party.
She also said she did not share her reservations with even her closest political colleagues. In her view, the person who would lead the government and carry forward the legacy of previous Congress administrations needed considerable experience in governance and an unimpeachable record of integrity.
Alliance Leaders Tried to Persuade Her
Sonia Gandhi recalled that her uncertainty intensified after the UPA's electoral victory, as alliance leaders repeatedly urged her to accept the Prime Minister's position.
She described being emotionally divided between her personal reluctance and the responsibility she felt towards Congress workers, party leaders and voters who had supported the alliance.
At one point, she recalled feeling overwhelmed by the insistence of the alliance leaders and responding with the words, "Theek hai". However, they immediately interpreted the remark as her agreement to become Prime Minister and began congratulating her before she could complete her response.
The development, she wrote, left Rahul and Priyanka deeply concerned. Both approached her with visibly troubled expressions because they had considered it their responsibility to protect their mother after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
Sonia Gandhi said she was already exhausted by the pressure from alliance leaders and then had to explain her position to her children.
She also reflected on the broader political implications of accepting the post. According to her account, she believed her decision could have consequences extending beyond the Congress and influence the country's political direction.
She argued that India needed stable and capable governance that could move the country away from divisive politics and concentrate on development and progress.
'Foreign Origin' Issue Also Influenced Her Decision
Another important consideration mentioned in the memoir was the possibility of the BJP and its allies making her foreign origin a major political issue if she became Prime Minister.
Sonia Gandhi wrote that such a controversy could generate political and social tensions and overshadow the government's development agenda. She said she did not want her elevation to the country's highest executive office to create divisions in a country she loved.
She also referred to her political opposition to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating that her entry into politics had been driven by concerns about what she described as the possibility of divisive politics and challenges to the Constitution.
In the excerpt, she said she eventually resolved not to allow herself to be persuaded into reversing her decision.
Addressing Congress MPs, she reiterated that becoming Prime Minister had never been her political ambition. She said her priority was to defend India's secular foundations and work for the interests of the poor, principles she associated with Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
She acknowledged that the Congress Parliamentary Party had unanimously chosen her as its leader and that the confidence placed in her had created considerable pressure. However, she maintained that she had to follow her inner conviction.
Sonia Gandhi told party members that the Congress had made significant progress in its political struggle but that a long journey remained. She appealed to them to accept her decision and assured them that she would continue working for the party's principles and vision.
Manmohan Singh Named as UPA's Prime Ministerial Choice
The memoir also recounts the meeting of Congress MPs at which Sonia Gandhi formally communicated her decision to decline the Prime Minister's post.
She said several members initially protested and attempted to persuade her to reconsider. However, as she explained her position, the gathering gradually became calmer.
She subsequently sought the members' approval to nominate her successor and announced the name of Dr Manmohan Singh as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
According to her account, the announcement was followed by applause, with several MPs standing up and raising slogans. She also noticed Rahul and Priyanka standing and applauding her decision.
Manmohan Singh subsequently became Prime Minister of the UPA government, which was formed after the 2004 general elections.
Operation Blue Star Remarks Trigger SAD Reaction
Another section of Sonia Gandhi's memoir has attracted political attention over her recollections of Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army's military operation at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar in June 1984.
In an interview with The Guardian ahead of the book's release, Sonia Gandhi recalled that Indira Gandhi was deeply affected after being shown photographs of the devastation inside the Golden Temple complex.
According to Sonia Gandhi, tears rolled down her mother-in-law's face when she saw the images of the destruction.
Her remarks prompted a sharp response from the Shiromani Akali Dal, which questioned the Congress leadership's expression of anguish over the operation.
SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler alleged that Operation Blue Star had caused deep and lasting pain to the Sikh community and said its impact would remain in the hearts of Sikhs for generations.
He also drew a comparison with the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, alleging that the Congress had inflicted immense suffering on the community.
Kler referred to the killing of innocent Sikhs and the burning of homes during the violence, challenging Congress leaders to speak to families who had lost their relatives and property to understand the extent of their suffering.
He described the operation as an attack on the Sikh community and Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
Indira Gandhi Anticipated Threat to Her Life
In her interview with The Guardian, Sonia Gandhi also recalled that Indira Gandhi had faced threats to her life following Operation Blue Star.
She said her mother-in-law had begun preparing the family for the possibility of her death and had discussed what should be done if she were killed.
According to Sonia Gandhi, Indira Gandhi told Rahul Gandhi that he must remain brave and not cry if she died.
She also said she believed that Indira Gandhi's visit to Kashmir with her grandchildren during the summer of 1984 may have been an attempt to say goodbye to them.
Operation Blue Star was launched by the Indian Army in June 1984 to remove armed militants from the Golden Temple complex. The operation remains one of the most sensitive episodes in India's post-Independence history because of the damage to the shrine complex and Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi, months after the military operation. Her assassination was followed by widespread anti-Sikh violence.
Congress Defends Its Position
Responding to the controversy surrounding Sonia Gandhi's remarks, Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka defended the party's position.
Verka said the Congress had never justified Operation Blue Star and maintained that the party stood with Punjab and its people.
He also referred to visits by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to the Golden Temple, stating that both leaders had offered prayers at the Sikh shrine.
The excerpts from Belonging: A Journey of Love have therefore brought renewed attention to Sonia Gandhi's personal experiences and the Congress party's political history. Her account of declining the Prime Minister's post in 2004 offers an insight into the family and political considerations behind the decision, while her recollections of Indira Gandhi and Operation Blue Star have reopened debate over one of the most painful chapters in Sikh history.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
