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Sonia, 63, the shy and reticent politician who entered the Indian scene as the demure Italian bride of Rajiv Gandhi in 1968, has so far been unanimously elected as Congress president barring once when Jitendra Prasada, a senior leader from Uttar Pradesh, had thrown his hat in the ring but failed miserably in the polls in 2000. She filed her nomination papers on Thursday.
A three-time Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli, she officially took charge of the 125-year-old Congress party as its president in 1998, becoming the fifth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the eighth foreign-born person to become the party chief. She received enough flak when Congress fared badly in the 1999 general elections.
Often attacked for her foreign origin, Sonia has travelled far since she tentatively entered the country's political maelstrom in the 1990s after the assassination of her husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
The daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi, she won a general election victory for the party in May 2004 but then passed up the prime minister's job, giving it to Manmohan Singh.
With one deft stroke in 2004, Gandhi turned herself from outsider to future prime minister to a paragon of sacrifice.
By refusing the prime ministership, she took the wind out of the sails of BJP's single-point agenda; should a foreigner become the country's prime minister?
Though critics used the move to call into question her power, Sonia is still widely revered, especially among the country's millions of poor. She solidly stood behind the prime minister with her unwavering support and worked in tandem.
The campaign for the 15th Lok Sabha elections last year saw the naturally shy Sonia take on leaders of rival BJP with aplomb blunting their attacks on the party and Manmohan Singh.
Sonia seems to have shed her formerly taciturn manner, routinely working the crowds at political meetings and displaying a more combative approach.
After Rajiv's death, Sonia became reclusive, but she later returned to public life ready to serve.
Sonia Maino, the daughter of a small building contractor who was raised in a conservative Roman Catholic family near Turin, was eventually persuaded to pick up the torch and became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, giving it a Gandhi figurehead once again.
Sonia has often dismissed her foreign birth as unimportant. She is little known in Italy and became an Indian citizen in 1983. She said her foreign birth might work against her with some, but that in rural areas – especially among the woman and the poor – she was no outsider.
"I never felt they look at me as a foreigner," she had once said. "Because I am not, I am an Indian."
She first came to prominence as the prime minister's wife, then as his widow, nearly two decades ago.
As Sonia stepped slowly into the highly-influenced corridors of Indian politics, she emerged as chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance(UPA) in the Lok Sabha and the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. In 2004, she was named by the 'Forbes' magazine the third most powerful woman in the world. For the year 2007, she was named among the Time magazine's 100 most influential people.
Born on December 9, 1946 in a middle class family in Italy, she went to the UK in 1964 to study English at the Bell Educational Trust's language school in the city of Cambridge.
It was here during a certificate course she had a chance meeting with Rajiv, the elder son of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Soon after marriage, Sonia avoided politics and served as the housewife. Her involvement with Indian public life began after the assassination of her mother-in-law and her husband's election as prime minister.
At times, she was also involved in looking after her husband's constituency Amethi. In 1984, she actively campaigned against her sister-in-law Maneka Gandhi who was at that time contesting against Rajiv in Amethi.
Initially reluctant to enter politics, the dwindling position that the Congress was facing along with the revolts of many top ranking Congress leaders forced Sonia to reconsider her decision.
She had resisted Congress' attempts to persuade her to step into Rajiv's shoes and eschewed politics for several years. In the Calcutta Plenary Session of the Congress in the year 1997, she finally joined the Congress Party as a primary member.
Eventually, in 1998, Sonia agreed to become more involved in the party, but her initial efforts were overshadowed by Congress' humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP in the 1999 election.
During her tenure as the Leader of the Opposition, she was firm in her responsibility and led the party to a thumping victory in the 2004 Parliamentary elections. In the newly created UPA headed by the Congress, she became the chairperson.
In a minor setback, Sonia was embroiled in the Office of Profit controversy and resigned from the Lok Sabha and also as Adviser of the National Advisory Council.
According to electoral laws, an elected person cannot hold an office of profit (meaning paid post). She was, however, re-elected from her constituency in Rae Bareli in May 2006 by a margin of over four lakh votes and has never looked back.
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It might be a personal achievement for Ms Sonia Gandhi that she has been elected unopposed as Chairperson of the 'oldest political party' of India, but media should rather focus on the fact that the biggest political party lacks internal democracy. This is a sorry state of affairs and clearly indicates that Congress is not a party rather a Coterie of Sycophants who would go to any extent to please their masters( read the Gandhi family) so their vested interests do not get affected and they continually get to rob the nation.
Whether her critics and opposition like it or not, Sonia Gandhi has become a formidable national leader one can not wish away easily. Though initially she was shy and reluctant to enter politics, when once she was pushed into the arena she has shown her capability as the leader of the oldest and biggest party and led it to victory twice.Her greatest and most admirable stroke was her bold act of handing over the reign to an able and ameable Manmohan Singh, thereby disarming her opponents depriving them of the amunition on her foreign origin.We have seen in the past, the Congress in the absence of a powerful leader become highly friable and week and Sonia's leadership has prevented the decimation of that party. It is in the best interest of the country that the Congress remains as a powerful centrist force in Indian politics as a deterrent force against the extreme right and left ideologies.
It is not the Sonia under whom the cong is in power both at the center and AP. It is because of YSR which no sagacious could deny. Her charm does not work Now she will face the music for being ungrateful to AP which gave her mandate twice at the center but in return she gave infamy and paltry even in ministry. She gave one who is good for nothing
Again Mr. Ravindran, It's not about party or how long one rules.Dinosaurs ruled for lot of years,Even Babbar shers(Asiatic lions) What happened to them? Are we past dinasaur mind! We need to introspect to function pro-humane & efficiently P.S. From what you summarised, it seems Mrs.Gandhi's striving to survive(kissa kursi ka) instead of striving to perfect the nation.
a party that rules india for a good 50 years or more , and that's highly corrupt, I see no surprise in the first family occupying the place successfully. the path from a middle class to a leader of a party is interesting to all though, its a fairy tale after all !
She made the naive media call he, ''once a reluctant politician'' etc, now sir is smart, not reluctant. She planned her entry from the second her husband died, she shrewd to the last drop of her blood. Some on commented, ''after loosing her husband, mother in law /brother in law she is engaged in active politics and allows her son in politics. .she is brave,bold,determined'' She perhaps knows very well there is nothing better than this for her and for her kids. If required she will pull her daughter in as well knowing that many women will just vote to see the 'gori beti and bahu''. After Rajiv Gandhi's death every one said she will not get into politics, and I always maintained that 'she is waiting for the right time and would bring back the whole clan'. She has her agenda and that agenda is the secret. Has anyone cracked that?
The present Congress is not 125 years old. This is a splinter Congress of Indira Gandhi. The original Congress had many great personalities who were nationalists and service oriented.This Congress is Satta oriented and tainted by Emergency and 1984 Sikh mass murder. Many pre-independance Congress people are disillusioned by Nehru dynasty Indira Congress. Do they really follow Mahatma's policy of truth and non-violence?
People are not interested about who become Congress president.It is media they project lot of stories.Most mediocare are now the politicians without any proper education and become Ministers ,President,Chairman of evry organistion including Neuclear Science and Universities. They never care about Bhopal Gas Trgedy nor about Bofore scandal.Thanks to media for projecting these people.
So true Mr. Mario, It's not about how long a person rules, it's about how well a nation fared under her/his rule. One might have supported decisions of lotz of leaders, but the question is did that decision lead to a progress. Are reforms even 50%? During 15 years(Mann! I can transform the nation,in fact even world) from rags to riches within few(5) years) of tenure was Mrs. Sonia Gandhi able to eradicate poverty? The clear answer is NO.Then why such a hoola.baloo? Performance matters not firmness.
Well Said ! ! ! India needs young, educated and talented people with good attitude and gurts.
after loosing her husband, mother in law /brother in law she is engaged in active politics and allows her son in politics. .she is brave,bold,determined. in each tenure she is adding the new feathers in her cap.
Congress practices politics of sycophency and divide & rule.They prefer little educated person to lead the party.Non has any good political education nor good moral background.People of India specially the north has sycophency culture and practice communalism.They rule the country with the help of Jadav,Misra,Jath.
The Nehru Gandhi Family has done it once again , As Mrs Sonial Gandhi will be elected fourth time the President of All India Congress Committee ( Congress-I ) , As Sonia Gandhi one of the political guide to her husband and former Prime Minister Of India Mr Rajiv Gandhi , His sudden death and to fill the vaccum of the organization the reins of Power in the organization was handed over to Sonia Gandhi . As she has done it and Congress-I is in Power for the second time with the planning of Smt Sonia Gandhi and his son General Secretary and M.P. Mr Rahul Gandhi . As no doubt Sonia will creat an history for becoming president of the Congress-I organization Fourth time . As her vision for Policies of the Congress-I for the poor , a vision towards the development of the Nation , and above all her vision for womens empowerment she preffered to introduce Thirty Three percent women Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha as the Bill will be an historic Bill in the annals of Indian History . .
We indians are at fault .We look at some savior for our problems and not ideolagy nor ethics .Ofcourse we always liked to be under somebodys rule and corruption is in our blood.
Political parties like congi, TDP, DMK, RJD BSP JD(secular) belonging to slang wedded Gowda, AIADMK, PMK are all proprietary concerns and no election by renomination. To call it every time an election it is imperative to wash our mouth with phenol
Election or no electon, Sonia is millions time better than any India-born politician of the present crop, especially those jokers of BJP. I do not consider Mr. Singh as politician and India is lucy to have him too.
It is your individual perception. Wait for china limited war shortly and face the music. We cannot stand in front of them for, our ammunitions procured are for purely commission only. It was Vajpayee who ordered penetrate into pak despite his out speech no and thus won the kargil. If you know speak or better be silent satisfied with freebies you got. Light is faster than sound hence you look brighter till you open your mouth.
50 nominations for Sonia is the height of sycophancy only possible in banana republic. Only Gandhis can be President or PM or someone to keep the chair warm for Gandhis in Congress(I=Italy?). You can't be block president for 2 yrs, but you can be party president for life. Long live Indian dynastic democracy! What a shame.
Dear Sir, I firmly believe that media houses have a duty to discuss and inform the people of India the disadvantages of having political dynasties. After all the world's largest democracy deserves better!!! Our nearest democracy in size is the USA with about 300 million. If Indian democracy is made to toe the British democratic pattern headed by an unelected, hereditary monarch who is also the head of the Anglican Church whilst claiming that it is secular then it is not in the best interests of Indian democracy or Indian people. It was the media who alerted the then Indian citizens about the atrocities of British rule which led to our liberation from a brutal regime. In the same spirit the media houses ought to discuss about how the Nehru dynasty is given enormous brand recognition in the political space by naming everything of significance after them- JNU, IGI Airport, CWG stadiums are all a few in 1000s of monuments. There may be less monuments named after the British Queen!
It is not a political party like BJP or communists where anyone can reach the top.Here is a private party where top job is only for Sonia or Rahul Gandhi which is well known. Why all these tamashaof election .Pranab Mukerjee learnt this the hard way. Nobody with self respect should be in that party and if he has the desire to serve the nation but only to serve Nehru family.
She is a decent & dignified person and she has worked hard to make the Government orient its policies more and more towards uplift & development of the poor & downtrodden. Hope she continues on this mission with unwavering spirit and hard work so that India becomes a developed country in letter and spirit and the economic divide shrinks even if we cannot build an egalitarian society. Wish her all good luck & blessings.