New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi’s autobiography ‘Belonging’ will trace a journey that began in Italy, took her to Cambridge, brought her into the Nehru-Gandhi family and eventually led her into a long political career in India.
It also explains why she chose not to become prime minister after the Congress selected her for the post. The book recounts some of the defining events that changed the course of the family and Indian politics. Published by Penguin and to be released on November 10, the 544-page book covers her childhood, her years in England, her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi and her decades in public life. These include the death of Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash, Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s subsequent rise to the prime minister’s office.
After his death, she kept away from active politics for years despite repeated calls for her to take a larger role in the Congress. She eventually entered politics and took charge of the Congress, becoming its longest-serving president. A major section of ‘Belonging’ is expected to cover the period when the Congress chose her for the prime minister’s post. Sonia was chosen to lead the government but did not take the post. The book will offer a personal account of her journey from a small town in Italy to one of the central pieces of contemporary Indian politics, and of the love, bereavement and political duty that shaped her life.
Sonia also writes about Rajiv’s assassination in 1991 during an election campaign. After the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress emerged as the largest party and put together the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with its allies. Earlier reporting noted: Publisher Alfred A Knopf announced on Tuesday that Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, will be published on November 10.
Earlier reporting noted: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir will be published this autumn.
