‘Only Priyanka and I know’: Rahul on Sonia’s life after Rajiv Gandhi’s death

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, is scheduled to release internationally in November by Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday remembered his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on his 82nd birth anniversary and said his mother Sonia Gandhi’s memoir would finally allow millions to read their story she long kept private.

Sonia’s memoir to open up life after Rajiv’s death, Rahul Gandhi says. (indianhistoryposts/Instagram, PTI)

On X, Rahul Gandhi addressed Sonia Gandhi as “Mama” and recalled the last time he saw his parents together more than 35 years ago.

“Since the day Papa left, I have watched you face everything life threw at you with never-ending courage and dignity. Only Priyanka and I really know what you have been through, and how difficult your life after Papa truly was,” he wrote.

Referring to Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Rahul Gandhi said he was “proud” that her story would be read by millions who loved her.

“I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story,” he said. On Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday, Rahul said he could imagine his father “smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia”.

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir to release in November

The memoir traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her arrival in India and marriage to Rajiv Gandhi. It also covers the tragedies that shaped her life, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

The book is expected to offer an account of Sonia Gandhi’s years within one of India’s most prominent political families, her transition into public life and her decision to decline the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 Lok Sabha election.

Sonia Gandhi has said writing about her life was difficult because it required her to revisit deeply personal experiences and relinquish the privacy she had guarded for decades.

“Writing about my life did not come easily to me. It meant opening myself up, sharing moments and experiences I had always held deep inside,” she said in a statement issued by the publisher, as per ANI.

Rahul Gandhi recalls Rajiv Gandhi’s vision

On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi attended the event Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi’s Vision at Jawahar Bhawan. Speaking at the event, he explained the meaning of “Swaraj”, saying it should not be understood simply as freedom.

“Swaraj means self rule,” Rahul Gandhi said. He cited Mahatma Gandhi’s imprisonment as an example, saying that while Gandhi was not physically free, he continued to “rule over” himself.

Rahul Gandhi also paid tribute to his father in an X post and promised to carry forward his ideals of unity, compassion, equality and democracy.

“Harmony among Indians, compassion in every heart, and equal rights to justice and democracy for every citizen,” he said. “Papa, this teaching of yours is my strength and your memories are my courage. The resolve to build the India of your dreams will always continue to guide me,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.

Congress leaders pay tribute at Veer Bhumi

Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi at Veer Bhumi in New Delhi.

The Congress remembered Rajiv Gandhi as an “architect of modern India” and spoke of his contribution to the country’s technological development.

Rajiv Gandhi became India’s youngest prime minister at the age of 40 in October 1984, following the assassination of his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He remained in office until December 1989.

Born on August 20, 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991. He was 41.