In the early hours of 31 October 1984, Sonia Gandhi was a young wife and mother living in the prime minister’s residence in Delhi. While preparing for a bath, she heard the sound of gunshots in the garden. Her mother‑in‑law, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had just left for her office in an adjoining building. Moments later, she was shot dead by two Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for the army’s earlier assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
“The sound was like firecrackers, but different,” Sonia recalled. Her children’s nanny, frantic, pressed her hand against the bathroom door and pointed toward the garden. Sonia ran toward the path, where a white Ambassador car was moving slowly. Inside, Indira lay covered in blood, her sari stained, her eyes open, her face showing a look of surprise. Sonia tried to call out, “Mummy, Mummy,” but no words came. At the hospital, she waited for hours before a doctor finally shook his head and confirmed her worst fear.
That night, Rajiv Gandhi, her husband and the elder son of Indira, was summoned from a rally in West Bengal. He informed Sonia that party leaders wanted him to become prime minister. Her response was fury and terror. “They will kill you; they will kill you, too!” she pleaded. Rajiv replied, “They will kill me anyway.” That evening, as Indira’s body lay at home, Rajiv was sworn in as prime minister.
These events marked the beginning of a life that would see Sonia Gandhi move from relative obscurity to becoming one of India’s most consequential political figures. She would later lead the Congress party through two general election victories, becoming the party’s longest‑serving president.
After Rajiv’s assassination in 1991, Sonia’s public life became even more fraught. Even the memorial trusts she headed required her to attend public appearances that were emotionally exhausting. Before speeches, she feared tears would overwhelm her. When the Dalai Lama asked if she felt vengeful toward Rajiv’s killers, she answered, “No, I don’t,” and burst into sobs. She described Rajiv as “a presence within me rather than a piercing absence.”
Despite the personal tragedies, Sonia’s journey has been one of resilience. She entered politics reluctantly, but her leadership has shaped India’s democratic landscape. Her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, details the private devastation that unfolded alongside the pressures of public life, offering readers a candid look at the woman behind the political icon.
Source: BBC World
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Editorial note: This is an original news report prepared from the attributed source material with AI assistance. It is not a reproduction or translation of the original article.
